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Taylor Swift Shares Behind-the-Scenes Details of Her Apple Music Letter

Tuesday August 4, 2015 7:41 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
taylor swift vanity fairIn an interview for the September cover story of Vanity Fair, Taylor Swift reveals her thoughts and reasoning behind the letter she wrote to Apple concerning the lack of monetary support for artists during Apple Music's three-month free trial period. The singer notes that she wrote the letter in the early morning hours after a few of her fellow artists sent pictures of their Apple Music contracts.
“I wrote the letter at around four A.M.,” Swift says. “The contracts had just gone out to my friends, and one of them sent me a screenshot of one of them. I read the term ‘zero percent compensation to rights holders.’ Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and I’ll write a song and I can’t sleep until I finish it, and it was like that with the letter.”
Swift's main concern was that her letter would be taken as whining, particularly since she had addressed a similar issue regarding Spotify last year, but after running the letter past her mother, Swift decided to publish it.

Apple did indeed listen, and later the same day reversed course on its decision and announced plans to pay artists during the initial free trial of Apple Music. In the Vanity Fair interview, Swift notes Apple's near-immediate response and genuine care for her and her fellow artists, further alluding to her public break from Spotify and that company's subsequent reaction to the pulling of her music from the service.
Says Swift, “Apple treated me like I was a voice of a creative community that they actually cared about,” she says. “And I found it really ironic that the multi-billion-dollar company reacted to criticism with humility, and the start-up with no cash flow reacted to criticism like a corporate machine.”
Although it's hit a few bumps in the road, Apple Music has been steadily providing its early adopters with exclusive tracks, celebrity-hosted Beats 1 radio shows, and personalized music discovery since its June 30 launch. Those who signed up on day one still have just under two months left to their three-month free trial, with monthly subscriptions priced at $9.99 for individuals and $14.99 for families after the trial. The company reportedly has ten million users on the free trial so far, but it remains to be seen how many of those will convert to paying users.

Tag: Apple Music Guide
[ 106 comments ]


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0098386
53 months ago
Music snobs. Music snobs everywhere.

I wish she would reveal her retirement date. I'm so sick and tired of her and this whole Apple thing. Enough already.

It's kind of a big deal though. Before this musicians wouldn't get paid, and now they are. That's an entire industry getting paid for its hard work on a service/company that can very well afford it.
Rating: 17 Votes
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Caliber26
53 months ago
I wish she would reveal her retirement date. I'm so sick and tired of her and this whole Apple thing. Enough already.
Rating: 16 Votes
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keysofanxiety
53 months ago

If there was a down vote option on MacRumors, I would down vote this article. I'm very sick of her marketing. Still, many people here will praise her... The shepherd tending the sheep...


There's something oddly unsettling about getting lectured on cult/sheep behaviour by a user called Tamagotchi :D
Rating: 11 Votes
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jacobh101
53 months ago
i <3 t swift
Rating: 10 Votes
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0098386
53 months ago

i <3 t swift

I'm not a fan of her music but I like what she caused with that letter. Very good to see.
Rating: 9 Votes
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yaboyac29
53 months ago
now if only taylor swift wasn't such a bitch when it came to photography during her concert.

photographers have no rights.

screw this woman.
Rating: 8 Votes
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AngerDanger
53 months ago
Another fun behind-the-scenes detail: due to his success in the keynote intro video, Bill Hader was originally considered to play Taylor Swift.



Rating: 8 Votes
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bbeagle
53 months ago

now if only taylor swift wasn't such a bitch when it came to photography during her concert.

photographers have no rights.

screw this woman.


She changed her concert photography contract. She listens.

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/07/taylor-swift-actually-listened-and-changed-her-concert-photography-contract/
Rating: 6 Votes
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SSD-GUY
53 months ago
And now Apple and her have got Bad Blood.
Rating: 5 Votes
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jdillings
53 months ago
The letter came about because she was loves to play the victim card. It seems her day revolves around finding ways to look like a victim. Witness her recent beef with Minaj.
Rating: 5 Votes

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