Apple wants to buy James Bond franchise, strikes deal with Warner Music

Finally, Apple is making a move in the content-producing business. After a rumor last week said that Apple is pursuing a Jennifer Aniston TV series drama, a new report says the company is currently fighting for something even more significant: the rights to the James Bond franchise.

Apple isn’t the only big name currently bidding for the rights, as Amazon is also interested in securing the James Bond rights for its own project.

Warner Bros. remains in the lead to land film distribution rights after Sony’s deal expired in 2015, although other major companies including Sony, Universal, and Fox, are also bidding on MGM’s James Bond property.

In another development, Apple Music users will be able to enjoy tunes from Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars for the foreseeable future.

Read also: Facebook AI researchers teaching bots to have human-like expression

Fresh off its recent deal with Spotify, Warner Music has signed off on an agreement with the tech giant, according to sources that spoke to Bloomberg. The deal is Apple’s first with a major label since the launch of its streaming service two years ago.

Like Spotify, Apple is reportedly negotiating a reduced cut of sales with record companies this time round. Until now, it’s been paying a 58 percent share to labels, which it’s now slashing to 55 percent.

Although labels have been to quick to voice their anger regarding low royalties from the likes of YouTube, it seems they simply can’t ignore digital services.

 

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