Apple Music has decided to reverse its payment policy, less than 24 hours after Taylor Swift said she was refusing to allow the company to stream her album 1989.
In an open letter to Apple, Taylor Swift, 25, said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers.
Now Apple Music says it will pay artists for music streamed during trial periods.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, tweeted on June 21: “We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.”
“Apple will always make sure that artist are paid,” he added.
Eddy Cue’s response may have headed off what could have been a bruising battle for Apple during a crucial period in which Apple Music is attempting to compete with streaming services like Spotify, which knows all too well what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Taylor Swift’s ire.
He also tweeted: “#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period.”
Taylor Swift had said the plan was “unfair”, arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost.
“I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” the singer said, describing Apple as one of her “best partners in selling music”.
“Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing.”
Apple Music launches on June 30. It will cost $9.99 per month in the US for one person or $14.99 for families.
It is not the first time Taylor Swift has spoken out against streaming music – she pulled her entire catalogue from Spotify last November and had refused to offer 1989 on streaming services, saying the business had “shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically”.
1989 went on to become one of the biggest-selling albums of 2014 and has sold more than 4.9 million copies in the US alone.
Taylor Swift has decided to pull her 1989 album from Apple Music and criticized the company.
In an open letter to Apple, Taylor Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers by Apple’s new streaming music service.
The 25-year-old singer wrote: “I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months.”
Taylor Swift said the plan was “unfair”, arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost.
“I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” she said, describing Apple as one of her “best partners in selling music”.
“These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much,” she continued.
“We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period – even if it is free for the fans trying it out.
“Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing.”
Taylor Swift ended her letter by calling on Apple to change its policy, suggesting she would reinstate her album on the service if the company changed its mind.
“We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.”
Apple has yet to comment on the issue.
The rest of Taylor Swift’s back catalogue will remain available on Apple Music when it launches on June 30. It will cost $9.99 per month in the US for one person or $14.99 for families.
The music industry has generally supported Apple bringing its vast music library to paid streaming, and the company said it will pay 70% of the music subscription revenue to music owners.
It is not the first time Taylor Swift has spoken out against streaming music – she pulled her entire catalogue from Spotify last November and had refused to offer 1989 on streaming services, saying the business had “shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically”.
1989 went on to become one of the biggest-selling albums of 2014 and has sold more than 4.9 million copies in the US alone.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
