Being the biggest popstar on the planet today sure has it perks. Even Apple listens to Taylor Swift. The singer-songwriter recently penned an open letter to Apple, telling the company what she feels about its recent music announcement. And Cupertino responded, giving Swift what she wanted and thought was fair.
In the letter posted to Swift’s Tumblr account, the popstar addresses her grievance against the newly launched Apple Music’s announcement that users will get a three month trial period for free. While Swift has no beef with that, her concern is with the artists on Apple’s roster not being paid for their music during that period. Swift argues that while a popular artist like herself can afford to live comfortably thanks to album sales, live shows, and merchandising, the picture is a bit different for new and emerging artists. Although she didn’t explicitly mention it, the rise of online piracy and streaming services has taken a toll on the music industry, and the brunt of its force is felt by newer artists still struggling to make a name for themselves.
Arguing for their sake, Swift states that she admires and respects Apple for all the innovation and breakthroughs the company has brought, but is not happy with their decision to not pay artists for three whole months. She points out that Apple is an immensely successful company and can afford to pay artists their due if it wants.
The response from Apple was swift, even if it came from an unorthodox source. On Monday morning, Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software and Services, posted a series of tweets stating that Apple has reversed its policy and will now pay artists even during the trial period. Cue closed his tweets with a final “We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.”
We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
Taylor Swift is one of the few remaining musical artists with the power to move album sales and influence companies. Earlier this year, she pulled her music from Spotify over a dispute with the streaming service’s royalties. Apple certainly wouldn’t want to get on the bad books of an artist as savvy and with as loyal a fan following as Swift.
