The Who guitarist Pete Townsend has called on Apple to do more to help musicians, after describing iTunes as a digital vampire".
He was delivering the first John Peel Lecture at the 2011 Radio Festival in Salford, UK, reports The Guardian.
Comparing music publishing to the banking industry, Townshend said: "Is there really any good reason why, just because iTunes exists in the wild west internet land of Facebook and Twitter, it can't provide some aspect of these services to the artists whose work it bleeds like a digital vampire Northern Rock for its enormous commission?"
(More at The Guardian)Townshend said iTunes was a "fantastic piece of software" but offered only distribution and royalties to the singers and bands whose work it sold.He said the late Steve Jobs's creation should also look to support artists in other ways, providing free computers and advice to the 500 artists it feels merited it most, and help them with marketing, copyright and distribution. Like a traditional music label, in other words, but one that makes money.
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