It's been decided! Taylor Swift will let Apple Music stream her "1989" album.
Less than a week after denying Apple Music the rights to stream her current album, the 25-year-old entertainer revealed to her fans via Twitter on Thursday that "1989" will officially be featured on the new streaming service - when it launches on June 30.
"After the events of this week, I've decided to put 1989 on Apple Music...and happily so," Swift wrote to her millions of followers. "In case you're wondering if this is some exclusive deal like you've seen Apple do with other artists, it's not. This is simply the first time it's felt right in my gut to stream my album. Thank you, Apple, for your change of heart."
The decision comes after the "Blank Space" singer took to Tumblr to criticize Apple's new online streaming service, which offers users a three-month free trial, during which artists, writers and producers won't be paid a cent.
"I write this to explain why I'll be holding back my album, '1989,' from the new streaming service, Apple Music," she wrote in a letter on her Tumblr page on June 21. "This is not about me. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field...but will not get paid for a quarter of a year's worth of plays on his or her songs."
She added, "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation."
Swift's letter actually pushed the company to change its policy.
"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," Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of internet services and software, told Billboard. "I let her know that we heard her concerns and are making the changes. We have a long relationship with Taylor so I wanted her to hear directly from us."
