Apple Music: 蘋果贏回樂迷芳心的利器？

10多年前蘋果推出iPod，從而在數位媒體拿下大片江山。近年來蘋果在樂迷心目中的地位，卻大不如前，在音樂串流服務更是錯失先機。蘋果去年以雄厚財力推出Apple Music串流服務，同時招兵買馬，廣邀樂壇大咖，試圖贏回樂迷芳心。進入本文前，請先想想如何表達以下單字：

(a)  適得其反 (b) 表面上 (c)  捲土重來

Right after Apple released its digital products in Cupertino, California on September 9, 2014, world-famous Irish rock band U2 took the stage to debut a brand-new song. Later, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced proudly that Songs of Innocence, the band’s latest album, would instantly appear on the mobile gadgets of millions of Apple customers for free.

2014年9月9日，蘋果於加州庫比蒂諾市發表數位產品，接著家喻戶曉的愛爾蘭搖滾樂團U2上台首演新作，然後蘋果執行長庫克驕傲宣布，U2最新專輯《純真之歌》將立即免費出現在蘋果數百萬用戶的行動裝置上。

Thiswell-meaning giveaway (a) backfired, though. First, fellow artists began to chide U2 for (b) seeming to validate the "music is free" mentality. Second, Apple customers complained about having music thrust upon them without their consent. Last but not least, critics pointed out that U2, however dazzling their career may have been, had turned into an uncool band who peddled generic-sounding "dad rock."

這項善意的贈品卻適得其反。首先，其他歌手開始數落U2，說他們似乎在助長「免費音樂」的心理。然後蘋果用戶也抱怨這種不請自來的音樂。最後樂評家還指出，即使U2曾經叱吒風雲，如今已成為不流行樂團，兜售毫無特色的「老爹搖滾」。

It was, without a doubt, a low point for Apple’s street cred among music aficionados. But perhaps, unbeknownst to the vocally disgruntled, Cupertino was busy plotting its (c) comeback via a new music service that might (1) break new ground.

此時蘋果無疑已失去音樂行家的敬重。然而抱怨者有所不知的是，蘋果同時正謀劃一種別開生面的音樂服務，準備捲土重來。

When it was finally ready to unveil its Apple Music subscription service last summer, Canadian rapper Drake’s participation was symbolic of how serious Apple is about its renewed focus on music. For a reported $19 million, Apple signed a deal with Drake that put his songs in Apple ads and led to the successful Apple-exclusive release of Drake’s fourth album.

蘋果去年夏季終於推出Apple Music訂閱服務，加拿大饒舌天王德瑞克共襄盛舉，象徵蘋果奪回音樂龍頭的決心。據傳該公司以1千9百萬美元與德瑞克簽約，在廣告中使用他的歌曲，後來還成功獨家推出德瑞克第4張專輯。

And it doesn’t stop with Drake. Other big shots, like Kanye West and Rihanna, are(2) jumping on this exclusivity bandwagon, possibly because money talks. As you dig into the Apple Music app, it becomes clear Apple has been investing heavily in music curation and media partnerships in a bid to strike a chord with music fans. Don't expect to see Bono back on that stage in Cupertino anytime soon.

不只德瑞克，其他大咖，像是蕾哈娜、肯伊威斯特，也在利誘下投效蘋果旗下。探索Apple Music應用程式後，你會發現，蘋果不惜在曲目和媒體下重金，試圖贏回樂迷芳心。看來波諾近期內不會返回蘋果發表會。

口語詞彙:

1. Break new ground 開啟新局面

字面意思是「開墾處女地」，引申為在某領域「開啟新局面」。 

Pokemon GO breaks new ground in online games by adopting augmented reality and getting players to be more active while playing the game. 「精靈寶可夢GO」在線上遊戲開啟新局面，它採用擴增實境技術，並讓玩家在玩遊戲時更為活躍。 

2. Jump on the bandwagon 趕時髦

Bandwagon意指「有樂隊的馬車」，從前，當這種馬車出現在街上時，氣氛總是非常熱鬧，.本成語引申為支持受歡迎的活動，也就是「趕時髦」。

Lots of people jumped on the bandwagon when the Golden State Warriors reached the NBA finals.

參考資料：Fast Company

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