Taylor Swift gets Apple to change stand on Apple Music

Taylor Swift just wrote a thought provoking letter . And in a day, caused Apple to react. Sometime back, we wrote how Apple Music (and other streaming services) is a big thing for consumers. We still do believe so. From a technology point of view, it is huge. And it is the future of music.

In a post on Tumblr , Swift writes, “I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music. 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. 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. 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.”

After highlighting that Apple seems to be the company that has a lot of money, to pay independent artists, she adds, “But 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.”

We’re talking of a company that is the largest, by a huge margin. Apple at certain points in time has had more cash than the US Federal Reserve. Even if that was when the US economy was struggling, it still means a great deal that a company has more cash to spare than the world’s most powerful nation. According to the Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful Brands , Apple is worth $741.8 billion. That’s a lot of money. That’s double the deficit of the US economy that stood at $483 billion last year.

Why then, does Apple decide to not pay artists for a period of 3 months ? Money definitely not ought to be a reason. But it prompted Taylor Swift who had opted out of Spotify earlier, to write an impressive open letter to Apple, and turn out to be an embarrassment to Apple. During the announcement of Apple Music at WWDC, the buzz was that those who wanted to listen to Taylor Swift could opt for Apple Music instead of  Spotify.

Just as Taylor Swift’s letter to Apple was making news headlines, Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, tweeted out a response.

https://twitter.com/cue/status/612824947342229504

https://twitter.com/cue/status/612824625345511425

That was a couple of hours ago, and has resulted in a lot of positive sentiment for Apple. It would have just been better had Apple not included a 3 month clause in its agreement. On the other hand, swift action by the tech giant is worth appreciating.