Eddy Cue about Curation in Music

In the 1960s, only 5000 new albums were released annually, while today, artists of all kinds can write and record a song anywhere in the world and release it globally. Every day, 20,000 artists upload new songs to Apple Music. Songs that make the lives of so many people a little better. But the bigger the music industry gets – and Apple Music has the largest catalogue of all major streaming services with more than 100 million songs – the more important becomes the selection. Curation of playlists made by humans rather than algorithms to translate their emotional language accurately. “Music over the years has always been a huge part of Apple,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “When you look at engineers and what we built, there are similarities to music and musicians. You start with a blank sheet of paper, a piano or you fill a blank playlist. You start with a blank screen also. There’s an artistic component to the work of curation as it’s in creation.”

SLEEK’s Christian Bracht met with Eddy Cue and musician Esther Graf about all things music; from Apple’s collaboration with emerging talent to how music can make people feel not just happy, but even lucky.

SLEEK: Eddy, do you feel lucky?

Eddy Cue: I first discovered a computer for the first time back in the 80s, when I was in high school. I became completely fascinated with programming and my dream job at the age of 15 was to go work at Apple. It’s rare and unusual for your childhood dream to actually become reality. I get to work with incredible people, like Esther, and I have fun just about every day. It doesn’t feel like a job or work. I love what I’m doing, and I can’t imagine another place in the world that’s better to do it.

I don’t know anybody successful who isn’t lucky – but they’re not successful because they’re lucky. They’ve taken chances and put themselves out there. I think music has the ability to make people think and strive for something. It can bring out an incredible amount of emotion, feelings and ideas which, if you are able to follow, luck may present itself in one way or another. Music is the best tool to utter hidden emotions and channel them into something powerful.

S: Among many other tasks, you are responsible for music at Apple. Why is music important to Apple?

EC: It goes back to Steve Jobs and the DNA of Apple. Music has always been a big part of the company. Steve, who was a huge fan of Bob Dylan and The Beatles, believed that music changed his life; the lyrics and sounds created certain desires, questions, emotions in his mind. Music over the years has always been a huge part of Apple. When you look at engineers and what we built, there are similarities to music and musicians. You start with a blank sheet of paper, a piano or you fill a blank playlist. You start with a blank screen also. There’s an artistic component to the work of curation as it’s in creation. We love being able to work with people like Esther Graf who are creating playlists like that.

S: When was it clear to you to make the step from hardware and software that Apple is known for to offering an artists services company such as Platoon for newcomers?

EC: With a lot of the things we do at Apple, we’re our own best consumers, we use our own products every day. And so, we’re always understanding ways in which we can improve and evolve. Platoon has a very small studio that supports emerging artists in publishing and creating their first songs. It also helps them with the business aspect of music production, which is crucial in building a career.

S: Germany is one of Apple Music’s top 3 European markets. You offer locally produced radio shows such as HYPED Radio with Aria Nejati focused on German Hip-Hop, named after the playlist of the same name, which just celebrated its 100th episode. But also Moderat FM aired on Apple Music 1 this year and you offered a local version of Fire In The Booth that became an instant viral hit. Why is localisation so important to you?

EC: Music has always been very global, but at the same time it’s a very important element of local communities. In sticking to this idea, we thought it was important to build a local team in each country. We’ve got an amazing team of curators and editors who are building relationships with the artistic community and supporting them. We see contextualisation as an important tool, which is why we prioritise telling the story of artists, like Esther, through Home Sessions and interviews.

Esther: Aside from all the incredibly useful tools and apps, working with Apple Music is really personal. I feel very lucky to have such a supportive team around me.

S: What is the importance of promoting young talent for Apple?

EC: I would say it’s a promotion and appreciation of art that we love. Young talent are pushing the world forward and we want to provide them with a platform where they can do just that.

S: Esther, you did a Home Session with Apple Music and you were the German artist for their “Carols Covered“ series where contemporary artists cover popular Christmas songs with your wonderful version of “Merry Christmas Everyone“. On top of it all you took over the local radio show New Music Daily Deutschland for the holiday season last year. As a young talent, what has been your experience working with Apple Music?

Esther: Apple has a great eye for new artists, and some of these have turned out to be some of the biggest in the industry – like Billie Eilish for example.  They have a lot of tools to support us. They’re making a big difference.

S: Eddy, how do you find someone like Esther? Is it a gut feeling?

EC: If you see someone like Esther perform, then you’re convinced right? Esther is a great person and we wanted to support her, tell her story. We all feel lucky to be part of her journey.

S: My last question is about a technical feature: Spatial Audio, which gives listeners a deeper and more immersive experience. This seems to be an important thing since even German heavy-weights like Rammstein, Kraftklub and Moderat released their latest albums in Spatial Audio to name a few. What do you personally think?

EC: When I was a kid, there was Stereo. Since then, different things have emerged from quadraphonic to other sound-enhancing technologies but nothing has quite been as impressive as Spatial Audio. The way you can arrange things and how you can hear instruments from different places is such a new, mind-blowing experience. I think now, in Germany, more than 80% of the top one hundred songs are made with Spatial Audio.

Check out Esther Graf’s Apple Music playlist with her current favourites here.