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

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."

On Sunday night, Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services, tweeted that Apple will in fact pay artists for streaming during a customer's free trial period. "When I woke up this morning and saw what Taylor had written, it really solidified that we needed a change," he told Billboard. "And so that's why we decided we will now pay artists during the trial period." Cue said that Apple had heard similar concerns from other artists, and it was "never our intent" not to compensate artists; the original plan was to negotiate a higher royalty rate. He also said he spoke with Swift, who was "thrilled and very thankful and excited to see how quick we responded."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up