Apple Music Bans Spoof Of Vision Pro Created Four Years Ago
By Mikelle Leow, 06 Jul 2023
Video screenshot via Tim Arnold
Apple has disconnected a Vision Pro parody commercial from entering its music service, claiming that joke advertisements aren’t allowed on the platform.
British singer-songwriter Tim Arnold says his entire album, Super Connected, was banned on Apple Music due to a single spoof spot for a fictional product called an ‘iHead’, which was purportedly dreamed up about four years before Apple unveiled its Vision Pro headset.
The fake advertisement, entitled A Commercial Break and featuring Stephen Fry, ties with another track called Start with the Sound, which also showcases the iHead in its video.
The imaginary gadget is mounted with a row of iPhones, and is envisioned to connect people’s imaginations with the sense of sound.
While Spotify has green-lighted the addition of the album to its platform, Apple Music has rejected it completely on the grounds of it including a satirical ad, 9to5Mac first reports. However, Arnold points out that other albums that incorporate fake commercials or radio segments, like Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf, are allowed to exist on the service.
Arnold was reportedly informed by Apple Music moderators that his album will be approved only if he removes the offending track. Unfortunately, the musician stresses that A Commercial Break is integral to the album’s concept.
The singer has published a letter urging Apple to reconsider its decision. So far, the note has amassed 45 signatures from people in the entertainment industry and other professionals like therapists.
“The spoof ad A Commercial Break (voiced by Stephen Fry) appears to have touched some kind of digital nerve, and supports the very point Arnold is making with his album: tech companies and streaming services don’t have a sense of humor,” reads Arnold’s blog post.
[via 9to5Mac and Tech Times, cover image via Tim Arnold]