Published
Mon, Jun 22, 2015, 08:10
- The company has responded to criticism from independent labels and stars like Taylor Swift.
Apple has announced that it will pay royalties to music labels and publishers during the upcoming three-month trial of its Apple Music streaming service.
The company has faced opposition to its no-royalty policy from stars like Taylor Swift, who penned an open letter to Apple. ("We don't ask you for free iPhones," she wrote.) The plan also drew criticism from independent labels—Beggars Group revealed it could not reach an agreement with Apple, while the Association Of Independent Music (AIM) sent a letter to its members stating it "cannot endorse" the plan.
Apple's Eddy Cue responded to Swift's tweet stating: "Apple will always make sure that artist are paid. #AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer's free trial period. We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple." Cue then told Buzzfeed that "Taylor Swift's tweet today solidified the issue for us, we decided to make a change." The company will pay a 'per-stream' royalty during the three-month trial.
Announced a couple of weeks back, Apple Music is due to launch on June 30th. It will offer paid users unlimited streaming for $9.99 per month with a three-month free trial.