Kid Rock and Others Shunning iTunes

It’s everywhere, including your personal computer and probably even your work computer, but it seems iTunes might not really command the music industry monopoly everyone thought it had. At least that’s what Kid Rock’s label thinks. Despite my doubts about their judgment (they signed Kid Rock), their claims might be worth listening to.

Atlantic Records kept Kid Rock’s album from the iTunes maw and lived to tell about it, with the wafflehouse waster selling 1.7 million copies in the US alone, BuzzSugar reported Thursday. That bold move might have given the label a small taste of victory in the tussle between record labels and, um, the future, because it also pulled UK rapper Estelle’s four-month-old Shine album from the virtual store’s shelves, gambling on the rapper’s real-world selling power. Will it work? Good question. Did Estelle’s music cross your mind before you read this article?

Kid Rock’s reasoning has to do more with not wanting people to pull down individual tracks, preferring they receive his latest release, Rock ‘n Roll Jesus, as a compete package. I can understand that, given the enormous artistic and social value of a whole, unmitigated Rock ‘n Roll Jesus. The thought of its eternal message being lost appalls me. But will other artists and labels follow suit? We’ll see. Will I miss “All Summer Long” among the tracks decorating my library? We’ll see.


RELATED: estelle, kid rock

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