Apple Music listens to Taylor Swift, will pay artists during free trials

Taylor Swift.
(Image credit: Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images)

It didn’t take long for Apple to change its tune when it came to paying artists during a user's free 90-day trial of Apple Music.

In an open letter, Taylor Swift wrote that she would not be putting her album 1989 up on Apple Music when it launches June 30 because the company did not plan on compensating artists for music played during free trials. "This is not about me," she wrote. "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."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.