Source : The Mirror
Apple has executed a swift u-turn when it comes to paying artists for the three month trial period of its new streaming service, Apple Music.
The iPhone manufacturer originally refused to pay musicians anything during the free trial period but has now changed its tune.
The reason? Taylor Swift.
The Bad Blood singer called out the company on its policy, branding it “unfair” and removing her latest album, 1989, from the service.
“I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” Swift said.
“Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing,” said the 25-year-old superstar last week.
“We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.”
The company responded quickly. Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, confirmed it would cover the costs – even outside the £9.99 per months subscription.
“#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during a customer’s free trial period,” he said on Twitter.
Paying artists for their work is one of the key messages of the Jay Z owned service Tidal, although that has been criticised for making rich musicians richer .
Apple meanwhile will want to “shake off” this little hiccup as it continues to try and grow Apple Music into a leading streaming service to compete with Spotify.