A lot has been made over the last week regarding Taylor Swift and her “open letter to Apple.” Many people called her out for double standards and others praised her. Whatever side of the fence you happened to land on with the issue it seems that even Apple Executives (particularly Eddy Cue) said Taylor Swift was right, and Apple has done a complete 180 and decided to pay artists for the free 3 month trial period of the upcoming Apple Music Streaming Service launch.
Less than 24 hours after Swift posted her open letter Apple decided to back down and pay artists after all during the three month trial period. Whether or not Apple really feels Taylor Swift is right or not is irrelevant at this point, because they have backed down and even released several statements on the matter including the one from Apple Executive Eddy Cue.
When I woke up and read Taylor’s note, it solidified quickly that we needed a change,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services who oversees the company’s music operations, told Rolling Stone. “Music is a big part of our DNA and we always strive to make sure artists are paid for their work.
So, what does this say about Taylor Swift? Apple is famous for having the best products and merchandise around. They are also famous for being notoriously “in house” with all of their stuff. They usually get away with it because they are the most valuable company in the world. So to me this says that Taylor Swift has become so powerful in the realm of music that even a tech giant like Apple is reversing their payment methods simply because of an open letter from her. I am sure Metallica is wondering where Swift was years ago.
Either way, Swift, along with all the other artists, will be paid (I am sure paid well) for the three month free trial period of Apple Music. It is still unclear how accepting the public will be of Apple Music, and if you ask Jay Z things are not always as easy and clear cut as expected. Historically though, everything Apple touches has been gold save for a couple of missteps. We will see if Apple Music is successful in a world where we all want to download our music for free.
Taylor Swift struck a big blow against Apple, and while it may have come off wrong at first the more we look into it the more right her open letter seems.
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