Is Apple threatening to remove artists from iTunes if they don’t sign deals?

Apple Music is being accused of threatening artists into signing licensing deals with its new streaming service.

Frontman of Brian Jonestown Massacre, Anton Newcombe, says he rejected a deal under Apple’s current conditions of giving rights holders no royalties via its three-month free trial option.

He then claimed that Apple said: “we’ll take your music off itunes” - “The biggest company on earth wants to use my work to make money for 3 months and pay me nothing - of I say no [sic], I’m banned,” he said.

Continuing, he called the company “devils”, saying “its not ok for these fucking idiots to decide art has no value.”

Apple Music is set to launch on 30th June, and it remains in negotiations with independent labels to strike deals. The service is said to be approaching labels directly, and UK body AIM and multi-label company Beggars Music have both issued statements criticising its lack of ‘freemium’ option.

See Newcombe’s tweets below.