Julian Casablancas Criticizes iTunes, Wants Strokes’ 6th Album On His Label
Last year, the Strokes released their Comedown Machine album, and it’s set to be the last album under their deal with RCA. But the Strokes aren’t done making new music; they apparently have plans to record early next year. And frontman Julian Casablancas is hoping to release any new Strokes records on Cult Records, the label he founded.
As NME reports, he told Huck about those hopes during a recent interview. And in his new capacity as label boss, he also had some not-so-nice things to say about the iTunes machine, claiming that iTunes “buries” certain releases:
It’s the hope to have an outlet. It’s about trying to make every album, every song, the level of quality people can trust in. And to be a source for tastemakers. Like, every era has their TV, or iTunes. iTunes is such a negative force on music. So we’re just trying to counter that… People just go to iTunes to see what the new records are. And the best records are not there — they’re buried. So people think, ‘Oh it doesn’t exist.’ But they just don’t know about it.
The Strokes are, right now, the only announced act for next year’s Primavera Sound Festival, which comes to Barcelona 5/28-30.