IOVINE WANTS APPLE MUSIC VIDEO TO BEAR FAST FRUIT

With the blessing of Apple CEO Tim Cook, Jimmy Iovine is hoping to fast-track original video content onto his Apple Music platform.

“We’ve put our toe in the water doing some original content for Apple Music, and that will be rolling out throughout the year,” Cook announced at Apple’s 1/31 earnings call. “We’re learning from that, and we’ll go from there.”

Dr. Dre’s six-episode scripted series Vital Signs is already in production, and Apple has also made a deal to transform Carpool Karaoke into a standalone series.

The company’s content strategy is all about the synergy, Iovine told Variety in a just-published profile. “We’re trying to make the music service a cultural point of reference, and that’s why we’re making video,” he said. “To me, it’s all one thing. It’s Apple Music, and it happens to have video and audio.”

Between himself and Dre, Iovine believes Apple has an advantage over other tech companies who are expanding into show biz. “Big tech companies are buying up entertainment companies,” he noted to Variety's Andrew Barker. “But someone at these companies has got to speak both languages, or it’s never going to work.”