Everything has changed: Taylor Swift to put 1989 on Apple Music

June 26, 2015 | 10:21
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"After the events of this week, I've decided to put 1989 on Apple Music ... and happily so," the popstar tweeted on Thursday (Jun 25).
Taylor Swift performs onstage during The 1989 World Tour on June 13, 2015 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TAS/AFP)

SINGAPORE: There appears to be no more bad blood between Taylor Swift and Apple Music. The popstar announced on Twitter on Thursday (Jun 25) that she would be putting her latest album, 1989, on the music streaming service.

Swift had earlier spoken out in an open letter about her frustration that Apple would not be paying artistes when subscribers to Apple Music get a free trial of the service for three months.

“This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success,” Swift wrote.

“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.”

Her letter was lauded worldwide by independent and mainstream musicians alike.

A few days later, Apple recanted and said it would pay artistes for streaming, even during the free trial period.

Swift had also previously expressed her concerns about the music streaming business, and pulled her music from streaming service Spotify in November last year.

Apple Music will - for now - now be the only streaming service her new album 1989 is on. On Thursday, Swift said her decision to put her music on Apple Music is not an “exclusive deal” with Apple. “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,” she tweeted.

CNA/AFP

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