Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Taylor Swift putting Apple on blast.
The superstar posted an open letter to the company on her Tumblr page on Sunday, criticizing its streaming service’s free three-month trial (and the consequent three unpaid months for artists, writers, musicians and producers).
“I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music… I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months,” she wrote. “I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.”
Taylor said the decision to boycott is not about her – as a now-established artist, she can “thankfully” support herself and her team.
“This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt,” she wrote. “This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs.”
Anticipating critics who will inevitably dub her decision “greedy,” Taylor said, “These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.”
If Apple Music wants to give users three months free, the company should pick up the tab – not the artists, according to Tay.
“Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done,” she wrote, adding that she hopes she can soon join the streaming model. “… But 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.
“We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation,” the post concluded.
— Erin O’Sullivan
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