Robert Kondrk, music chief for Apple Inc., says that, in light of the recent slide in music downloads, he's looking for more exclusive deals like the massively successful one between Apple and Beyonce on her recent self-titled album.
Speaking at this year's Grammys Week, Kondrk urged labels to move in that direction, while blaming streaming services for siphoning off sales.
"In the meetings during Grammy Week, Apple's iTunes contingent, led by Kondrk, even suggested the albums don't even have to be exclusive to iTunes, and that labels could give albums to other stores as well - but not streaming services," wrote Billboard Biz of the meetings.
Bey's record, which hit December 13, sold one million copies in its first week with iTunes.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.