Swift blasts Apple for shackling artists with free-trial costs
Taylor Swift on Sunday took another swing at online streaming services, this time taking aim at Apple by keeping her platinumselling album “1989” off the new streaming service.
In an open letter to Apple, Swift criticized the tech giant for its threemonth free trial period in which musicians won’t get paid. The cash-rich tech firm, she said, should cover the costs of the free trial and pay artists, producers and writers during the period.
The 25-year-old musician and songwriter is quickly becoming a leading voice for artists’ rights. On her Tumblr post “To Apple, Love Taylor” posted on Sunday, she explained that artists shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of Apple’s promotional costs.
“I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” Swift wrote.
“We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period... even if it is free for the fans trying it out,” Swift wrote.
The decision, just months after she pulled her work from Spotify, may ultimately be a minor setback for Apple.
Spotify has thrived since Swift pulled “1989” off the service; it doubled the number of paying subscribers to 20 million over the past year.
But Swift’s criticism of Apple can hurt the company’s image, especially as other musicians and artists join her call for greater compensation from online music services.
Apple Music will launch June 30 with a monthly $10 streaming subscription plan that sets in after an initial free trial. Apple will also offer a free Internet radio service and continue to sell downloads of songs and albums through its iTunes store.
Spotify offers free adsupported music streaming and charges $10 a month for ad-free listening and access to songs on demand.
Apple declined to comment for this story.