10 Reasons Jimmy Iovine Could Take On an Important Role at Apple

by Don Reisinger

Apple relies heavily on the music industry. Whether it’s selling music through the iTunes Store or streaming tracks through iTunes Radio, Apple needs to ensure that it keeps record labels happy while still maximizing its profitability through the reduction of royalties. Apple has done a fine job of that so far, but having a veteran music industry exec on its side should make those efforts even easier.

Iovine might have started in the music business, but he has shown he has a real understanding of the technology industry. That business acumen should come in handy as he helps Tim Cook on all matters creative. He can identify ways to get better designs from engineers, build new business models around existing tech and creatively bring nicer products to the market.

Jimmy Iovine, along with rapper Dr. Dre, who is also likely to join Apple in some capacity, could finally bring some much-needed coolness back to the company. Steve Jobs delivered on the “coolness” factor, but Tim Cook isn’t viewed that way. With Iovine’s help, it might be possible for Apple to regain some of its lost “coolness” cred.

Looking at the Beats lineup of products, one will quickly discover that Iovine has a creative eye. Indeed, Steve Jobs once told him that he’s a marvel in the industry because he was able to come from the software side—music—and become a hardware success. Iovine knows what works and what doesn’t. And that should only help Apple and Tim Cook.

What’s in store for the future of iTunes? Apple seems content to keep things as-is and try out its streaming music platform. Iovine, however, could deliver some new ideas that would help revitalize the music platform. Whether Iovine is at Apple or not, iTunes isn’t going anywhere. If Iovine joins Apple, however, there’s a good chance he’ll help the company improve its digital music outlet.

The iPod has been watching its sales wane and customers question their need for such a device. Still, Iovine has a sense for what music lovers want and could bring some much-needed ideas to the iPod line. Love for music will never go away, and Iovine knows that. His first challenge might be to find a way to make the iPod useful in a world where all its functionality is built into a smartphone and tablet.

Over the last several years, Iovine has been saying that he’s been disappointed with the ears of music listeners. When he was growing up, audio quality mattered, and he wanted to bring up a new generation of listeners that would care about audio quality themselves. With help from Apple’s billions in cash on hand, Iovine might get closer to making that a reality and finding a way to get heavily compressed digital files washed out in favor of products that deliver much better quality.

At a recent conference, Iovine talked about the importance of content and the curation of content to give users the most relevant information based on their needs. Apple has tried to do that a little with iTunes Radio, but its success in that matter has been less than ideal. Iovine might try to change that at Apple and create an ideal curation engine. He couldn’t quite do it at Beats because of financial constraints, but at Apple it’s likely to be a different story.

Apple was recently discovered to be searching for an employee who could help the company create buzz around its products. One of the ways it would try to do that, the job listing said, was to put its products into the hands of celebrities in unique ways. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s precisely the tack Samsung took at places like the Oscars and elsewhere. Apple has a real “buzz” issue with Samsung, and it’s possible Iovine can solve it, given his many contacts in the entertainment industry.

According to Iovine, he would meet with Steve Jobs quite often to discuss royalties and subscription services as it related to music. What he learned in those meetings, he has said, was how Jobs thought and operated. Iovine could bring some of that insight back to Apple and give the company a shot at bringing some Jobsian ideas back to Cupertino. Iovine might not be Steve Jobs, but he’s certainly a visionary. And that should only help Apple.