Sunday morning, Taylor Swift and her team released an open letter saying why her music would not be on Apple’s upcoming streaming service. Titled “To Apple, Love Taylor,” the letter highlighted that Apple would not be paying artists for the music that’s streamed during its upcoming free three-month trial that starts June 30. So in protest for the smaller artist, her album 1989 would not be available. Swift has a lot of power in music because, well, everyone knows who she is and almost no one hates her.
While she says she respects “the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries,” she says that mosts artists are afraid to speak out against Apple. Luckily, she’s a strong enough voice for Apple to hear, and by Sunday evening, Apple changed its policy.
Apple’s senior vice president of internet services and information, Eddy Cue, tweeted Apple will now pay artists during the three-month trial:
#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
He credited Taylor Swift for changing the company’s mind:
We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple — Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
These are the kind of reasons why no one really hates Taylor. She may whine on songs, but she makes high-budget videos just because she can, and she helps the little guy. So here’s to you. *raises glass of $2 wine* Thanks for helping the little guys, Tay Tay.
UPDATE: Just how much (or how extremely little) is Apple going to be paying artists during the three-month free trial? According to Digital Music News, just $0.002 per stream. Ouch.
