Edgar Bronfman Jr., ehemaliger Aufsichtsratvorsitzender der Warner Music Group, sprach im kürzlichen Interview mit AllThingsD über die Rolle von Labels/Plattenfirmen in einer iTunes-basierenden Musikindustrie, und über Apple's (und v.a. Steve Jobs‚) Rolle in der Preisgestaltung:
Apple from day one believed in music and content. That was the good news. The bad news is that they decided all songs where created equal, and I fought Steve on that. Ultimately, Apple got the better part of that deal. Ultimately, I wish we'd gotten more pricing flexibility… Apple was there supporting music from day one, and it obviously was a great outcome for Apple…
…und die Labels, so Bronfman weiter, sind immer noch nicht wegzudenken – nicht nur die für die Interpreten, sondern auch für die Zuhörer:
“Commercial success still hasn't come to an artist that isn't signed to a record label. There are very few artists that can succeed without the help of a record label. The role of the record label is still required, it's still necessary. I really do think consumers are busy, and trying to sort through millions and millions of artists to find the ones that they might like just requires far too much work. That's where the labels come in.”