From Bob Dylan to The Beatles: The artists Steve Jobs used to achieve greatness
Apple founder Steve Jobs transformed the way we consume music today. Without him, there’d never have been the iPod, and the device you last listened to your favourite record on was likely one of his inventions. Thanks to Jobs, we have every album ever made available to listen to at the touch of a finger, and music is more accessible.
After his death, Beggars Group chairman Martin Mills spoke about the seismic difference Jobs made to the music industry. The label owner told The Guardian, “Steve Jobs’s legacy to music is immense. Apple alone had the strength to manhandle music licences out of big companies intent on doing it themselves, and iTunes’ independent editorial policy, judging music just on its merits, has benefited thousands of new artists.”
The notion of paying for music digitally and not owning physical copies of albums was revolutionary. It was the precursor to streaming, and if Jobs was still alive today, who knows what impact he’d have made on our consumption habits over the last decade.
On top of being a crucial figure in changing the travel of direction of the music industry, Jobs was also a fanatical muso. His favourite band of all time were The Beatles, with the innovator once saying: “If the vault was on fire and I could grab only one set of master tapes, I would grab the Beatles.”
In his biography of Jobs, Walter Isaacson explained: “His iPod selections were those of a kid from the ’70s with his heart in the ’60s.” Despite being one of the most pivotal figures in 21st-century music, those whose careers he helped flourish weren’t on his regular rotation.
Reportedly, he had 21 albums by Bob Dylan albums on his iPod, including all six volumes of the singer’s bootleg series. However, the most recent recording was 1989’s Oh Mercy. Isaacson explained: “The artists appearing next most frequently on Jobs’ iPod were the Beatles, with songs from seven of their albums, followed by the Rolling Stones, with six albums.
“Others making the cut: Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Buddy Holly, Buffalo Springfield, Don McLean, Donovan, the Doors, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, John Mellencamp, and Simon and Garfunkel, plus the Monkees’ ‘I’m a Believer’ and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs’ ‘Wooly Bully’.”
Unsurprisingly, hip-hop music wasn’t Jobs’ bag. However, he attempted to get into the genre with Isaacson’s book quoting him as saying: “I respect Eminem as an artist, but I just don’t want to listen to his music, and I can’t relate to his values the way I can to Dylan’s.”
Dylan was Jobs’ ultimate hero, and in 2004, the pair shot the breeze for two hours, with the Apple founder telling Isaacson: “I was really nervous, because he was one of my heroes, and I was also afraid that he wouldn’t be really smart anymore, that he’d be a caricature of himself, like happens to a lot of people. But I was delighted. He was as sharp as a tack. He was everything I’d hoped. He was really open and honest.”
The anecdote above shows that despite being one of the most powerful people in the world, even Steve Jobs turned into a bag of nerves when he was in the presence of Dylan, which proved he was human like the rest of us.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.