In the conversation of music streaming royalties, none were pleased to hear that Apple Music wouldn’t be paying any royalties to artists or labels during their 3 month free trial.
Well, it seems that Taylor Swift changed their minds.
In a post on her Tumblr page, Swift spoke on why she was holding back her multi-platinum album 1989 from the service:
This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs.
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. We simply do not respect this particular call.
After Swift’s manifesto made headline news, Eddy Cue (SVP of Internet Software and Services at Apple) let it be known that Apple had changed its tune and would indeed be paying out royalties for their free trial:
We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
It’s refreshing to see an artist stand up for their beliefs and use their power of influence to change culture. It’s going to take more than Swift to sway me from Spotify Premium, but I have a lot more respect for her after this win.
