Herring said that music has had a rubbish 15 years ever since Steve Jobs developed the iTunes MP3 Store.

He told an earnings call: “Steve Jobs eviscerated the music industry with the launch of iTunes and it’s been downhill ever since. And the download was supposed to save it, that didn’t happen.”

Tragically he did not say how Jobs was responsible and although he might be right we can find other reasons. In the last 15 years there have been very few new artists who have anything meaningful to say. It is sad day when the charts are led by a self-obsessed whining Apple fangirl moaning about another self-obsessed bloke dumping them (Taylor) or high ranking YouTube dubbers (Bieber).

It is these musical runts who are causing people my generation to wake up terrified that they have become their dads and don’t think anyone has made any decent music for the last decade. It is really possible that music piracy has fallen because no one is making any product worth stealing.

Herring also slammed Apple Music, the technology giant’s music streamer which attracted practically no one and those who did sign up left in droves after their free period was up.
He argued that this is a low number considering that hundreds of millions of phones that come with the app installed.

“I guess a few million people do [subscribe], but the reality is you want to get people to choose to do, that is a much bigger trick. You have to have a great product.”

However Herring faces is own terrible time. The Copyright Royalty Board might decides to increase royalties paid to labels and artists. At the moment Herring pays 0.14 cents per stream and wants to lower the rate to 0.11 cents per stream. Royalty distributor SoundExchange wants a 79 percent increase in the rate to 0.25 cents per stream. In Q3, Pandora paid 40 percent of its revenue to labels according to Herring.

Herring said that Pandora would “continue to operate very effectively no matter what the rates are.”

Maybe the reason there has not been any decent music in the last 15 years is because in addition to the parasitic studios there are now music streaming outfits leeching the money out of the system. A musician has to sell millions to make enough to buy a McDonald’s happy meal in royalties.

No wonder anyone who is intelligent enough to string together decent lyrics and a tune has worked out they can make more money busking or on the pub circuit.

The stage is yours Miss Swift

"You Belong With Me"

You're on the phone with your Mum
She's upset, she's going off about something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get iFart is funny like I do.

I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night.
I'm listening to the kind of music ya Mum doesn't like.
And she'll never Coldplay like I do.

Your girlfriend uses Android
I have an iPhone
She's has a Surface
And I'm on an iPad
Dreaming about the day when I wake up and find
That what you're looking for is a girl with overpriced tech.

Can't you see
That Jobs is the one
Who understands you?
Been here all along.
So, why can't you see
Apple’s your cup of tea.

Walk in the streets with you in your worn out Zenfone
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be.
Looking at your interface thinking to myself,
"Hey, isn't this easy?"

And you've got a smile
That could light up this whole town.
Is it just because it cost you nothing
And your phone bill is right down?

You say you're fine I know you better than that.
Hey, what you doing with a phone like that?

You use an Android
I have an iPhone
You have a Surface
And I'm on an iPad
Dreaming about the day when I wake up and find
That what you're looking for is a girl with overpriced tech.

Can't you see
That Jobs is the one
Who understands you?
Been here all along.
So, why can't you see
Apple’s your cup of tea.


Standing by and waiting at the iStore.
All this time how could you not know, baby?
Apple’s my cup of tea,
It belongs with me.

[Instrumental]

Oh, I remember I drove to your house
Apple Maps couldn’t find it.
I ended up somewhere in Belarus
You know your laptop from Dell.
Works far too well,
But is it thin and made from tin? .
Think I know where you belong,
It is in the iStore with me.

Can't you see
That Jobs is the one
Who understands you?
Been here all along.
So, why can't you see
Apple’s your cup of tea.

Standing by and waiting at the iStore.
All this time how could you not know, baby?

Apple’s my cup of tea,
It belongs with me.

It belongs with me.

Have you ever thought just maybe
Apple’s my cup of tea?
Apple belongs with me.