Dear Apple, Taylor Swift is not happy. The pop icon has openly withheld her hit album 1989 from Apple in a public boycott of their new music streaming service, Apple Music. Swift was recently crowned No. 64 in Forbes’ list of the “world’s most powerful women” so the ‘gal has pull! Here’s what she wants you to know…
In a Tumblr post entitled To Apple, Love Taylor, the 25 year old star kicked off her open letter to the tech-giant in a supportive way crediting Apple for being “one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans”. But, with the niceties out of the way Swift quickly changed her tune making her feelings clear about Apple’s latest attempt to reinvigorate their position in the music market blasting them for refusing to pay artists royalties during the three-month free trial of the streaming service. Her main beef? Not “paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months.”
Swift went on…
“I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” she wrote.
“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.
“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. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.
Swift had a crack at streaming service, Spotify, last year after pulling all her music from its playlists, so she’s no stranger to standing up to the big boys. While she went on to say that she expects Apple will continue to be on of her “best partners” – time will tell whether she’ll make her album available at all.
Apple’s dominance in the market has been threatened by other streaming services that have tempted listeners away. By offering unlimited access to music and launching with 30 millions songs, Apple once again is predicted to regain any lost ground in the market.
UPDATE: APPLE HAS DECIDED TO COMPENSATE ARTISTS AFTERALL!! GO TAYLOR!!
Read Taylor Swift’s full letter here
What do you think of Taylor Swift’s open letter to Apple and the issues artists face with free streaming services? Tell us your thoughts below…
