14 DAY TRIAL // Taylor Swift might be “just” another pop star, but as Apple found out some hours ago, she’s the kind of pop star with a lot of sway. Unhappy with the company’s decision not to pay artists or their labels for the music streaming offered to new customers of Apple Music for the 3-month trial period, Taylor penned an open letter asking for the company to reconsider.
She also explained that this was the main reason she had opted not to offer her latest album, “1989,” for streaming on the service. She didn’t need the money, so she could have gone 3 months without pay, but she wanted to make a stand because she knew her voice was loud enough to be heard.
And so it was, as it turns out.
Taylor Swift stands up for the little guy
You can find Taylor’s open letter in full below. She posted it to Tumblr, from where it went viral. Seeing how beautifully and considerately it was worded, it’s not really a surprise it was picked up this way; the other reason was that this was Taylor standing up to one of the biggest companies out there, demanding that they revise their policy on payment for the artists whose music they used.
Taylor made it clear from the start: she found it offensive that Apple would not pay labels for the 3-month free trial period it offered to new users. The thought that Apple could very well afford to make this payment but chose not to angered her, because she too was once young and just starting out in the industry, and she knew what it meant to offer your music for free and not see a dime for 3 whole months.
She never asked Apple to give away free iPhones, so why should Apple ask artists to give away their music for free, if only for 3 months or even less, she asked.
It was only right that Apple covered the cost of the streaming done in these 3 months they offered free of charge to their users.
Apple backs down
As you can see from the tweets below, Apple has already reconsidered its position on the issue. Senior Vice President of Internet Services and Software Eddy Cue says that Taylor’s open letter was an eye-opener, so they acted fast on her suggestion.
In a statement cited by THR, Cue says that the intention was always to pay labels, even during the 3 months of free trial, so it’s not like Apple was looking to get music for free.
However, when they heard Taylor’s take on it, they decided to offer artists and labels the same fee during and after the free trial period. He also says that he called Taylor right after the decision was made, to let her know the good news: she’s too valuable a partner to them not to extend this courtesy to her, apparently.
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
Apple will always make sure that artist are paid #iTunes #AppleMusic
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 22, 2015