Hours after a public protest by powerhouse pop star Taylor Swift, Apple Inc. announced that it will pay royalties to artists and record labels during the three-month trial period of its new streaming service. On Sunday morning, Swift released an open letter to Apple saying that she wouldn’t allow her latest album, “1989,” to be included in the streaming service because Apple wouldn’t be paying artists during the initial three-month trial period for customers. The initial decision to forego payments was met with heavy criticism from the music industry, especially independent record labels. Swift appears to have been the tipping point in Apple’s decision to change its royalties policy after Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, Eddy Cue, responded directly to Swift to confirm that her complaints had been heard.
While Swift acknowledged that it isn’t uncommon for streaming services to forego royalty payments during a trial period, she notes that those are typically start-ups struggling to get off the ground, not one of the most valuable companies in the world. “I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” she wrote. “We don’t ask you for free iPhones,” she concluded. “Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.” Cue replied directly to Swift via Twitter in announcing the company’s U-turn. “Apple will always make sure that artists are paid,” he tweeted. “#AppleMusic will pay artists for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period. We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.”
After Swift’s post went viral, many artists – including Jack Antonoff and Christina Perri – backed the singer’s words. In an interview with Billboard, Cue said it was Swift’s letter that spurred the company to make its decision. “When I woke up this morning and saw what Taylor had written, it really solidified that we needed a change,” Cue said. “And so that’s why we decide we will now pay artists during the trial period.”
“I am elated and relieved,” Swift wrote on Twitter after the news broke. “Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us.” This is not the first time that Swift has championed for musicians’ rights. In 2014 she pulled her entire catalog from Spotify after they refused to reserve her music for their premium customers only. Swift’s brand and influence, along with support from fellow musicians, are paving the way for big changes in the music industry, especially how the value of music is perceived, which Swift cites as the greatest battle to overcome.