Quincy Jones dings P. Diddy at Spotify launch

By Sharon Waxman, Reuters
Wed Jun 27, 5:38 PM UTC

Producer Jones arrives at the 20th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy...

LOS ANGELES — Spotify brought producer Quincy Jones to launch their new app featuring artist-curated playlists on Tuesday, but the music legend couldn't resist dinging P. Diddy for being musically illiterate while touting the music technology.

"P. Diddy wouldn't know a B-flat" if it hit him, said Jones in a conversation with musician Bruno Mars to mark the occasion of the app launch. "P. Diddy has a doctorate in marketing…. He's got clothes companies and Ciroc vodka."

The comment came after Jones responded to an audience question with an admonition to "learn your craft."

The playlists launch on Wednesday.

Jones - who as one of the most respected producers of his time has worked with artists from Ray Charles to Michael Jackson - curated a playlist for the Spotify app, as has electronic DJ Tiesto, punk band Rancid and the heavy metal group Disturbed.

The digital streaming company, with 10 million active users, brought most of these musicians to the launch event on Tuesday, and they also brought a 10-year-old piano prodigy (more on that later).

The new playlists were created to respond to user demand for guidance through the 16 million songs Spotify has licensed for use from major music labels.

Spotify, a Swedish-based company, has won wide adoption by music lovers but also has broad support from artists because it sends royalties back to musicians in the age of piracy.

It was a busy day for the company; Spotify also announced on Tuesday that it had struck a deal to integrate its service with Yahoo.

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