Jimmy Iovine says he is not going anywhere and calls reports of him leaving Apple Music in the words our “stable genius” President, “fake news”.
The music mogul shot down rumors of exiting Apple Music in an exclusive report dropped by Variety. In the interview, Iovine reveals that he is still fully committed to doing whatever Apple needs him to accomplish.
“I am almost 65, have been with Apple for four years and in 2 1/2 years the [Apple Music] service has gotten to well over 30 million subscribers and Beats has continued its successful run. But there’s still a lot more we’d like to do. I am committed to doing whatever Eddy [Cue], Tim [Cook] and Apple need me to do, to help wherever and however I can, to take this all the way. I am in the band.”
Billboard initially based their report on Iovine leaving due to his shares with Apple vesting, Iovine responded those claims during an appearance Monday night at The Grammy Museum for a screening and Q&A session for the Grammy Nominated HBO Documentary, The Defiant Ones by revealing that his “Apple stocks vesting in stages” since he sold Beats and that the last of his Apple stock with will vest in August.
“All this stuff you’re seeing in the newspapers, let me tell you, my stock vested a long time ago. We need Donald Trump here to call it ‘fake news.”
Iovine is definitely still committed to the Apple cause but he admits he doesn’t want to stick with the music business forever.
“I don’t see myself at 75-years-old running around doing music. Eventually, I’ll be slowing down. But right now, I’m committed to getting streaming right.” Iovine added, “The next chapter, whatever intensity I’m working, will be to help streaming come to scale.”
Jimmy is here to stay… for now.
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Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
