apple post

WHAT MAKES CENTS FOR THE FUTURE: Is the New York Post trying to upset the Apple cart? The paper claims the tech behemoth, widely reported to be pursuing a streaming service, has offered labels a measly six cents per 100 songs streamed, about half the rate now paid by Pandora and less than a third of that paid by iHeartRadio. Today's piece was unusual in its discussion of actual rates proposed for streaming. With half of iTunes revenue reportedly coming from mobile, and streaming an ever-bigger part of the media puzzle, Apple's proposed iRadio (with ads built in) faces a time crunch if it wants to compete with other streamers. But as has been reported from the beginning, Apple's low-ball rate offer has made content deals extremely difficult. The Post cites "music insiders" saying cash-rich Apple should pony up at least the Copyright Royalty Board's standard rate of 21 cents per 100 songs. But how real are the numbers supposedly being floated in these talks? How will the Cupertino company's recent powwow with Beats Electronics principal Jimmy Iovine (now developing the streaming subscription service Daisy) play into the discussion? (3/7p)