In other interviews (1) he actually mentions music first, then the talent, than the hardware business. Sounds more like PR story-telling than an actual assessment of why they made this move.

The music angle is touchy-feely, the talent angle makes it seem like Apple got something that's exclusive, and the profitable hardware business is the solid base to calm investors.

1 http://recode.net/2014/05/28/tim-cook-explains-why-apple-is-...