It’s been a while since the last ‘labels hate iTunes’ rumour, but the Wall Street Journal has kicked off the speculation again, focusing on the labels’ desire to sell full albums, rather than break them up into individual tracks.Apparently the 1.6 million sales of Kid Rock’s ‘Rock’n’Roll Jesus’ album in the US – despite not being available on iTunes – is stiffening labels’ resolve to focus more on other retailers and distribution channels.The WSJ also says that Kid Rock’s label Atlantic (part of WMG) has just pulled the latest album by Estelle from iTunes, four months after it went on sale there. Why? A strategy “uniquely tailored to each artist and their fan base in an effort to optimize revenues and promote long-term artist development”, apparently.How much life is there beyond iTunes, and are we likely to see more labels pulling their big albums from Apple's store? Let us know your views by posting a comment.
