Pop star Taylor Swift has relented in her mini-dispute with Apple over licensing fees (which will now be paid during the three-month free trial of the subscription Apple Music service) and is offering her hit album 1989 for streaming for the first time, in an exclusive for the forthcoming service, which launches June 30. In a series of tweets, Swift announced that it was simply “the first time it’s felt right in my gut” to offer the album for streaming.
Acts and labels are lining up to sign with Apple’s new service following a reversal on the industry-standard policy not to pay royalties for music during free trials. Apple, which had already signed the three major labels to the previous agreement, encountered strong resistance from smaller and independent labels and artists, who feared that the prolonged trial — coupled with expected wide defection from Spotify subscribers — would cut streaming income to unsustainable levels for too long, forcing some companies out of business.
Many of the concerns were articulated by Swift in an open letter to the company released after the labels and other artists had expressed their concerns, prompting a response from SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue announcing that Apple would pay a standard streaming fee (about 0.2 cents per play) during the free trial, reverting to the previously-agreed revenue percentage share (between 71 and 73 percent of sales, depending on region) after the free trial period is over.
The company has since reached agreements with a number of independent labels, notably Beggars Group and Merlin, each of whom represent dozens of artists and smaller labels. The company has also secured exclusive rights to Pharrell Williams’ next single “Freedom,” and is said to be lining up interviews and shows featuring celebrities such as Eminem, Elton John, Drake, Dr. Dre, and others.
The revamped Apple Music app will feature new free features along with the paid subscription service, which offers streaming access to some 30 million songs in the iTunes Music Library, which features most (but not every) artist available on the iTunes Store. The paid portion will cost $10 per month (or $15 per month for a “family” membership of up to six full accounts), while the Beats 1 online radio station and associated “genre” radio stations, and the Connect social service, will be accessible for free. Paid members will get extra benefits with both of the free services, and of course the Music app will also control and play back users’ own music libraries.
