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In November last year, Taylor Swift – inarguably one of the most popular pop stars right now – pulled her entire back catalogue off of Spotify in protest of the streaming service's unfair payment practices to artists
Most recently, the singer confirmed that her latest album '1989' will not be available on the soon-to-be-launched Apple Music.
The reason? Apple will not be paying a single cent to artists during its 3-month free trial, which Taylor describes as "shocking" and "disappointing" in her open letter to the company.
Image via Big Machine Records
Taylor Swift has always been a strong advocator in regards to artists being fairly compensated for their music, so before you accuse Taylor for being too money-minded, hear her out.
She explained that she is not speaking for herself, but on behalf of every other person involved in the music industry – artists, writers, and producers – who "will not get paid for a quarter of a year's worth of plays" on their songs.
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Acknowledging her admiration and respect for Apple's legacy as well as their "beautiful progress" in working towards paid streaming, Taylor points out that the company definitely 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."
Image via Big Machine Records
Surely anyone can agree with Taylor when she says, "… it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing."
Urging Apple to change their policies, she leaves the door open for her future participation in the company's streaming platform… but only when it agrees to be "fair to those who create this music".
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Perfectly summing up the whole situation, Taylor wrote, "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation."
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Taylor's open letter, which was published on her Tumblr on 21 June, has amassed more than 60,000 notes and even garnered support from many in the music community
About a week before Taylor penned her letter, UK-based independent record company Beggars also expressed their concerns on why "rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple's customer acquisition costs". The company houses big names such as Adele, Radiohead, and Sigur Rós.
Image via Billboard
