Apple Inc has paid heed to Taylor Swift’s short, but harsh-worded note on musicians not being paid for the 3-month trial period of its much-hyped Apple Beats platform. Agreeing to pay musicians for the 3-month free trial, the confirmation was posted by Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software and Services, on his Twitter account.
The company will be paying artists on a per-stream basis, though the exact figure is still unknown.
The policy reversal comes right on the heels of Taylor Swift’s blog post criticising Apple Music revenue-sharing terms, arguing that indie artists would suffer under the plan. She had withdrawn her hugely successful 1989 album to be streamed on Apple Beats in a direct protest against the policy.
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,
said Swift
The Cupertino-giant had earlier, during WWDC 2015, stated that 71.5% of revenue from Apple Music was to be shared with music labels, and no royalties would be provided during the trial period. However, that policy seems to be defunct, looking at how swift responded.
Apple Music will launch on June 30 as part of an upcoming iOS 8.4 update. After the service’s free three-month trial it will cost $9.99 per month for individuals and $14.99 a month for families up to 6.
Taylor Swift, post Apple’s bowing to her, sportingly took to Twitter to thank Apple and of course, her supporters.
I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us.
She still hasn’t confirmed whether ‘1989’ would be available for Apple Beats users though.
This could’ve been Apple’s idea all along, but the heat is definitely off Apple for now. Apple’s royalty payments are already higher than competitor Spotify’s. It’s a win-win situation for both the musicians and consumers alike.
