Noel Gallagher has waded back into the streaming debate, accusing Apple Music of being “arrogant” and “Orwellian”.
The former Oasis man, who has been critical of streaming services such as Tidal in the past, told the Varvet International podcast: “Apple Music, world radio: is that some sort of George Orwell shit going on? How can you be so arrogant that you can say, ‘We now fucking own world radio.’”
He added: “It’s not playing the Kinks. Unless there’s a fucking section that says ‘Noel Gallagher’s music collection’ then I won’t be listening to it.”
Gallagher went on to express dismay at the way music is consumed today, with fans streaming individual tracks rather than investing in full albums. Of this sea change in consumer behaviour, he said: “If you tell me now that the record-buying era is over, that makes me sad. That the culture of buying and believing in a record, that era is over, and the belief is that music is for hire and for rent, the money that you pay lets you access everybody’s music but own none of it: I think that’s a sad day.”
To give him his dues, the High Flying Birds man has certainly been doing his research. Talking about Apple Music’s “Connect” feature, which aims to allow users more access to artists and their schedules, Gallagher said: “Who cares what fucking Thom Yorke is up to? Seriously, who gives a shit? I’d find it creepy if everyone wanted to know what I was up to.”
It’s not the first time Gallagher has hit out against streaming services. In May, he had Jay Z’s Tidal platform in his crosshairs, saying: “They were like, ‘We’re going to fuckin’ save the music business.’ And I’m just sitting there, thinking you might want to write a decent chorus for a fucking start. Never mind fucking royalties and the ‘power of music’. Write a tune. Fucking start with that.”
