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http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/21/taylor-swift-criticises-shocking-disappointing-apple-music

 

Taylor Swift has spoken out again about streaming music, but this time her target is Apple rather than Spotify.

Swift has joined independent labels in attacking Apple’s plans not to pay royalties during the three-month free trial of its new Apple Music streaming service.

In a post on Tumblr, Swift set out her opposition to the plans, days after it emerged that her last album 1989 will not be available on Apple Music, which was unveiled earlier in the month at the company’s WWDC show in San Francisco.

After describing Apple as “one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans”, Swift did not mince her words over her unhappiness about the company’s free-trial plans.

“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.”

Swift went on to stress that her criticism is “not about me” but rather an attempt to stand up for emerging artists and songwriters.

“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,” wrote Swift.

 

“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.”

Swift’s criticism follows a week in which independent labels have also been criticising Apple’s free-trial plans, on the grounds that small labels are likely to feel the most impact from a three-month blip in revenues.

 

And the update:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/apple-changes-tune-on-royalties-after-swift-complains/2015/06/22/2ca4c7ba-1894-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html?hpid=z4

 

 

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Taylor Swift has Apple changing its tune.

 

Hours after the pop superstar criticized the giant tech company in an open letter posted online, Apple announced Sunday that it will pay royalties to artists and record labels for music played during a free, three-month trial of its new streaming music service.

“When I woke up this morning and I saw Taylor’s note that she had written, it really solidified that we needed to make a change,” said Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue in an interview with The Associated Press.

 

Apple had already agreed to share revenue from paid subscriptions to the new Apple Music service, which will cost $10 a month. But Swift said she would withhold her latest album from the service because Apple wasn’t planning to pay artists and labels directly for the use of their music during the free, introductory period.

 

“We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation,” Swift wrote in an open letter posted Sunday on her Tumblr page, under the heading “To Apple, Love Taylor. “

 

Apple has maintained that it negotiated revenue-sharing at rates that are slightly higher than the industry standard, to compensate for the three months that it plans to offer its streaming service without charge.

 

“We had factored that in,” Cue said Sunday. But he added, “We had been hearing from artists that this was going to be rough on them, so we are making this change.”

 

Cue declined to say how much Apple will pay in royalties for streaming during the free trial period. He said Apple will share 71.5 percent of its revenue from paid subscriptions within the United States and 73 percent from subscriptions outside the country, while other streaming services generally share about 70 percent.

 

Some artists and independent labels had worried they would miss out on opportunities to get a financial return from new music that is released during the three-month trial. Swift said she spoke out on their behalf.

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