Speak now! Taylor Swift made her voice heard on Sunday, June 21, when she penned an open letter to Apple in regards to the company's payment practices for its new streaming service.
The Grammy winner, 25, took to her platform of choice, Tumblr, to weigh in on Apple Music and its system of royalties for artists in a letter titled "To Apple, Love Taylor." The note followed the star's decision to withhold her latest album, 1989, from Apple Music, just as she did with Spotify.
"I feel this deserves an explanation because 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," Swift wrote. "I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries."
"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," Swift continued of Spotify's new competition. "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."
The "Bad Blood" singer went on to explain that she was not looking out for herself and her finances with the decision, but rather, is about "the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success… the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt… 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."
Swift was immediately celebrated by other artists including Jack Antonoff, Elvis Costello, and Christina Perri for her words, and Apple took notice in a big way. The company's senior vice president, Eddy Cue, reportedly reached out to Swift to inform her that the company was changing its policy, and subsequently took to Twitter to break the news of the shift.
Apple will always make sure that artist are paid #iTunes #AppleMusic
— 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
We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
The move was more than enough to satisfy Swift, who retweeted Cue's words and wrote on Sunday evening, "I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us."
