His contribution to arts and entertainment was towering, to say the least.
Most people, before this week, were unaware that Steve Jobs brought PIXAR from George Lucas back when it was a division of LucasFilm. And later he sold the hardware division of Pixar and helped the company become solely an animation studio, producing its first major film, Toy Story, for Disney.
In 2001 he introduced the iPod and iTunes as new ways to collect, store and enjoy music and later, movies. While the iPod wasn’t the first digital music player, it was instantly the best and most accessible. Steve had cracked the digital music market and now, iTunes more or less is the digital music market. With iTunes, Apple created a new and completely unique way for people to buy music. 99¢ a song. Cheap. Steve Jobs had changed the business model and the market for the music industry for years to come, right up to now and the foreseeable future. And he changed it in favor of the consumer, the listener, the everyday person.
Also in 1999, Apple’s decision to develop and release Final Cut film editing software, helped turn the Macintosh Computer into the most useful creative tool for many filmmakers, in turn, creating many independent and shoestring budget filmmakers along the way.
Today, programs like Logic and Garage Band on the Mac, are used in people’s homes and in major studio’s to compose and create music.
Steve Jobs emphasized that he wanted to place his company at the intersection of Technology and Liberal Arts. Clearly he had a strong passion for the Arts. He also had immense creative talent, and he used that talent and technical know-how to help others create and enjoy Art. When no one else could find the way, Steve Jobs didn’t just find the intersection; he created it. And as far as our generation is concerned, he may have actually been the intersection of Technology and the Arts.
Bottom line is, Steve Jobs was an artist. And all modern artists on some level owe Steve a “Thank You.” So thank you Steve. Rest in Peace.
