Over the past two weeks, numerous articles expressed concern over the fact that Apple Music did not plan to pay royalties during its three-month free trial period. Well-documented, the concern did not prompt a policy change.
Then Taylor Swift wrote a Tumblr post expressing her disapproval of the policy.
Apple initiated the desired change. Per Tweets from Apple’s Eddy Cue, the streaming service will pay artists “even during customer’s free trial period.”
“Apple will always make sure that artist are paid,” wrote Cue. “#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period. We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.”
In her Sunday morning Tumblr post, Swift specifically blamed the royalty-free window — not the concept of streaming itself — for her decision to withhold “1989” from the service. Insofar as it was a Taylor Swift social media post, virtually every entertainment and tech media website picked up the story.
Swift’s words also inspired a series of supportive Tweets from artists — new and old, large and small.
In the end, Swift’s commentary drove change.
Swift re-Tweeted Cue’s remarks, but she has not yet confirmed when the “1989” album will be cleared for streaming on Apple Music.
