Advertisement

CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLIII: Vivendi CEO calls iTunes contract "indecent"

While it's a bit tame compared to some of the CEO outbursts we've seen, Vivendi Chairman Jean-Bernard Levy's reported description of Apple's iTunes contract terms as "indecent" should still be more than enough raise a few eyebrows. More specifically, referring to the contract terms between Vivendi's Universal Music Group unit and Apple, Levy said that the "split between Apple and (music) producers is indecent," adding that its "contracts give too good a share to Apple." To remedy that supposed indecency, Levy suggested a "differentiated price system" for older and newer releases, among other things. Of course, all of this follows a fair bit of back and forth between the two companies, which ultimately ended up with Universal not renewing its long-term contract with Apple, but continuing to work with iTunes "at will." According to Reuters, Levy wouldn't comment about the possibility of Universal leaving iTunes altogether, although he did confirm that "we are not just talking to Apple."