I don't think Apple is beyond criticism in the slightest.

what about microsoft?

I don't think Apple is beyond criticism in the slightest.

Someone mentioned Neil Young. The comparison is ridiculous. Neither he nor any band ofhis generation that PJ aspire to, were ever independent or had to release music and try make a living from it in an age where the majority of music is stolen. If this sort of thing or playing festivals helps them continue to record tour and inevitably have to pay all the staff they have on retainers, then thts how it's gotta be. It's an evolving business model suited to it's time. I say fair play to them for having the sense to do it while still managing to be relatively dedicated to the causes they do believe in. And those are two separate issues but if you're signed to Sony you can't scream about corporations without looking ridiculous (RATM) but PJ only ever really had a go at TM and Gates. And the latter was more tongue in cheek pisstake then it was mission statement.
I don't get the complaining about this Sort of partnership at all.

And PJ always had detractors for all the raging they did. Most of the detractors said that you can't possibly maintain such an anti-corporate stance consistently as a gigantic rock band. They were right, in many ways.

This may be true about some bands, but not Pearl Jam. They could probably live off the royalties they made on their records for the rest of their years, and run their business. They probably make more money now than when they were on a major label, considering all the money goes back to them and the relative lack of overhead for studio and live shows in comparison to many other bands.

Debate the merits of it, sure, but it's really hard to believe that they are being put in a decision where they have to do this to survive. They're doing it to make a lot of money quickly. If that's not an issue, fine, then there shouldn't be any problem admitting that.

Dear god no. Apple's PR is just incredible. I thought it was hilarious to see all the OWS types mourning his death while protesting the 1%... as his sweat shop labor continually was killing themselves.

we really have no idea about their overhead though

That was STEVE JOBS, you dillweeds. Research "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation" and see how many hundreds of millions of lives they are or atleast trying to impact.

This is a valid point. And I think they've smartened up and realized (or more accurately, ED realized) that you can't blanket all corporations into just BAD and not be a hypocrite doing it. In fact, if you partner with them the right way, more than ever can be done. I think they're learning as they go along and trying to do what's right. It gets complicated, more success or opportunities to success puts difficult choices in front of them: A) "sell out" and build up the savings account, pay for your loyal employees, and also pay for the local skate park or unresearched illness or defense fund of wrongly embattled friend or B)"keep it real" and do nothing and even worse have to lay people off b/c you're 'under budget' or some other awful business reason? It's easy in this realm to lose your ideals and lose your soul, but it's also possible to do unimaginably more than anyone can dream of if they navigate this the right way. We're watching and sometimes they screw up, but I think they're overall handling it fine save for a few really stupid things EV said over a decade ago.

It just seems to go against the grain of creating art, especially if it's going to be art with a social conscience, which Pearl Jam has always strived to be. And Pearl Jam has, at least through the first decade of their career, had always put forth this image of a band of the common people. That's why they always tried to manage the costs of their tickets, allocate the best seats for fan club members, allow bootlegging, yada yada yada. I'm not saying they've thrown all of that out the window, but I suspect that a lot of the reasons why they were so against corporate sponsorships and advertisements at the venues they played was because it's hard to talk about common problems behind a Microsoft sign, which is pretty much what they're doing now.

I'm not angry about it, I'm not calling for their heads, I'm not burning my albums. I'm just saying a really cool band has become pretty lame.

That was STEVE JOBS, you dillweeds. Research "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation" and see how many hundreds of millions of lives they are or atleast trying to impact.

Rightly or wrongly, this anti-corporate attitude was and is a BIG part of PJ's identity. I'm not saying it's the sole part of their identity, I'm not saying their minds aren't allowed to change, I'm not really saying anything. But they were the ones that opened the door.

I'm not a dillweed, fuckwit. I'm saying you can't praise Microsoft and denegrate Apple. They're both corporations and corporations do morally ambiguous things in order to run. They just do. Microsoft is no less guilty of this than Apple, even if you consider the simple fact of swallowing up natural resources.

The responses to this kind of thing are interesting to me because they make it seem like Pearl Jam is just like every other band in this regard. And I think that's really hard to argue. Rightly or wrongly, this anti-corporate attitude was and is a BIG part of PJ's identity. I'm not saying it's the sole part of their identity, I'm not saying their minds aren't allowed to change, I'm not really saying anything. But they were the ones that opened the door.

The thing is, I am very much on the opposite end of the political belief spectrum from Pearl Jam on a LOT of issues, and one of the things i actually liked about the band was their conviction- even if it was to things I didn't personally believe. I respected their dedication to playing by their rules, not the "norm."