Steve Jobs won a Grammy last night, which at first seems a bit strange given that, you know, he never recorded any music (that we know of). But the Grammys don't just hand out awards to the Taylor Swifts of the world— there's also something called the Grammy Trustees Award, which goes to "individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording." Jobs seems a fitting recipient on those grounds.
Accepting the award on the late Apple visionary's behalf was Eddy Cue, a senior vice president at the company who oversees iTunes and the company's other digital initiatives. In his speech, Cue, who knew Jobs well after over 15 years of working closely together, spoke of his late boss's deep love for music.
"He told us that music shaped his life, it made him who he was," Cue said. "When Apple first introduced the iPod, people always asked 'Why is Apple making a music player?' and Steve's answer to that was simple. He said 'We love music and it's always good to do something you love."
After the success of the iPod, Jobs developed relationships with all the major record label heads and several marquis artists as he sought to build the iTunes Store into the premiere destination for digital music. Many have since credited the success of iTunes for saving the music industry. Prior to the store's launch, most people refused to pay for digital versions of songs, relying instead on a cornucopia of illegal downloading programs that proliferated at the turn of the millennium.
[via SAI]
