Speaking to CBS about Apple Music’s very good new ad featuring Taraji P. Henson, Mary J. Blige, and Kerry (no middle initial) Washington, Iovine said that the company’s new playlists were created to mansplain music to women: “I always knew that women find it very difficult at times—some women—to find music. And this helps makes it easier with playlists, curated by real people.”
Iovine, who was sitting next to Mary J. Blige while he said this nonsense, doubled down on the sexism, saying, “I just thought of a problem: Girls are sitting around talking about boys. Or complaining about boys, when they have their heart broken or whatever. And they need music for that, right? It’s hard to find the right music. Not everybody knows a DJ.”
The veteran producer and executive made amends yesterday, by releasing this statement that sort of apologizes and definitely tries to get you to understand where he was coming from: “We created Apple Music to make finding the right music easier for everyone—men and women, young and old. Our new ad focuses on women, which is why I answered the way I did, but of course the same applies equally for men. I could have chosen my words better, and I apologize.”