entertainment

After Being Criticised For Not Paying Artists, Apple Music Says "We Hear You Taylor Swift"

In an open letter to Apple, pop darling Taylor Swift explains why she made the decision to not include her latest album '1989' in Apple Music.

Cover image via Getty

In November last year, Taylor Swift - inarguably one of the most popular pop stars right now - pulled her entire back catalogue off of Spotify in protest of the streaming service's unfair payment practices to artists

Most recently, the singer confirmed that her latest album '1989' will not be available on the soon-to-be-launched Apple Music.

The reason? Apple will not be paying a single cent to artists during its 3-month free trial, which Taylor describes as "shocking" and "disappointing" in her open letter to the company.

In the letter, which was posted on her Tumblr, Taylor wrote, "I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company."

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Taylor Swift has always been a strong advocator in regards to artists being fairly compensated for their music, so before you accuse Taylor for being too money-minded, hear her out.

She explained that she is not speaking for herself, but on behalf of every other person involved in the music industry - artists, writers, and producers - who "will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays" on their songs.

Image via Elle

"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," she wrote.

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Acknowledging her admiration and respect for Apple's legacy as well as their "beautiful progress" in working towards paid streaming, Taylor points out that the company definitely 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."

"... Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans," she wrote.

"I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries."

She added, "I realize that Apple is working towards a goal of paid streaming. I think that is beautiful progress. 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."

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Surely anyone can agree with Taylor when she says, "... it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing."

Urging Apple to change their policies, she leaves the door open for her future participation in the company's streaming platform... but only when it agrees to be "fair to those who create this music".

"Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right," she wrote.

"But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this."

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Perfectly summing up the whole situation, Taylor wrote, "We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation."

Image via Esquire

Taylor's open letter, which was published on her Tumblr on 21 June, has amassed more than 60,000 notes and even garnered support from many in the music community




About a week before Taylor penned her letter, UK-based independent record company Beggars also expressed their concerns on why "rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs". The company houses big names such as Adele, Radiohead, and Sigur Rós.

Image via Billboard

Part of Beggars' press statement, titled "With regards to Apple Music...", reads:

"We are naturally very concerned, especially for artists releasing new albums in the next three months, that all streaming on the new service will be unremunerated until the end of September. Whilst we understand the logic of their proposal and their aim to introduce a subscription-only service, we struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs.

It is a mistake to treat these rights as royalty free, especially in the light of recent licenses with services like Soundcloud.

At the moment we do not have an agreement with Apple Music that would allow us to participate in the new service. However, we very much hope that the obstacles to agreement can be removed, for us and for independent Merlin-member labels as a whole, and that we will be able to fully support this potentially exciting new service in the coming days."

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So, what does Apple Music have to say about this? Well, less than 24 hours later, they've certainly reversed their nonpaying-policy.

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, announced that artists will now be paid for their music, even during the free trial period.




Let this be a lesson on why you should never underestimate the influential power of Taylor Swift:

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