Taylor Swift to Stream Top-Selling Album '1989' on Apple Music

Taylor Swift has decided to stream her most recent best-selling album "1989" on Apple Music when the music service launches on June 30 next week, just days after Apple reversed course and agreed to pay artists and rights holders on a per-stream basis during the free three-month trial period -- specifically, Apple will pay 0.2 cents for each song streamed during a customer's trial.

Swift says that she has not reached an exclusive deal with Apple Music like Pharrell Williams has for his upcoming single "Freedom" previewed at WWDC, noting that her decision was purely because it was "the first time it's felt right" for her to stream her album. "1989" and other Swift albums remain unavailable to stream through rival service and market leader Spotify.

Taylor Swift 1989

Swift originally vowed not to stream "1989" through Apple Music because of Apple's plans to not pay artists during the free trial period, although the iPhone maker quickly changed its mind after the pop artist published an open letter on her Tumblr blog that criticized the move on behalf of all indie artists. "We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation," wrote Swift.

Since changing course, Apple Music has signed over 20,000 indie labels through deals with licensing groups Beggars Group and Merlin earlier this week, and reversed a PR disaster in the process. "We think Apple Music provides artists with a business model that’s good for the long term and we look forward to its launch on June 30," said the music groups after reaching an agreement with Apple.

Apple Music was announced earlier this month as an all-in-one streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The subscription-based service will be available for $9.99 per month after a three-month free trial for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Apple TV and Android versions of the service will be available in the fall.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Foldable iPhone Display Production Begins Ahead of Launch Next Year

Wednesday July 9, 2025 10:59 pm PDT by
Production of foldable OLED displays for Apple's first foldable iPhone have begun ahead of its expected launch next year, Korea's ETNews reports. The first foldable iPhone's displays are being produced by Samsung Display, who are establishing a production line dedicated to the upcoming Apple device its A3 factory in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do. The production line will make displays exclusively...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...

Top Rated Comments

notthedark Avatar
131 months ago
Crisis averted. Now, who is Taylor Swift?
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ceviche Lover Avatar
131 months ago
This whole stunt was a PR move from the beginning.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cobbyco Avatar
131 months ago
Does this mean we can stop the Taylor Swift posts now?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
penajmz Avatar
131 months ago
She had to after that response from Apple. If she didn't she would've looked bad.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dumastudetto Avatar
131 months ago
This is huge!!! Nobody else has this album on their streaming service.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KidAKidB Avatar
131 months ago
This is huge!!! Nobody else has this album on their streaming service.
But is it really that huge? I'm pretty sure that most people that would care about this already own her album anyway.

What do I know? I personally couldn't care less about Taylor Swift.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)