#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period — Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
Just one day after Taylor Swift announced she would hold back her “1989” album from Apple Music during the three-month free trial period, the company has agreed to pay royalties to rights owners during the free period. In a series of tweets, SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue publicly reversed Apple’s plans to withhold royalties during the free trial, saying “We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.” The policy had been viewed as particularly detrimental to indie artists, who would be losing iTunes sales revenue without making up for that income with streaming revenue.
In an interview with Billboard, Cue said he had heard the same “concern from a lot of artists,” but that Swift’s letter put it over the top. “When I woke up this morning and saw what Taylor had written, it really solidified that we needed a change. And so that’s why we decide we will now pay artists during the trial period,” Cue said.
After CEO Tim Cook approved the decision for Apple to eat the cost of paying royalties during the trial period, Cue said he called Taylor Swift, who is on tour in Amsterdam. Swift expressed her happiness over the policy change in another tweet:
I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today.
