Apple Music is causing many independent artists to run and hide after hearing that they will not get paid.
Apple Music was announced on June 8th at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Apple chief executive Tim Cook, music entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine and rapper Drake.
During the announcement, plans for it to function as a one-stop shop for streaming, internet radio and a social network element that connects musicians to their fans has been met with backlash.
Since its launch, the terms of Apple Music’s royalties payments have been met with resistance from independent label organizations in both the US and UK. On 10 June the American Association of Independent Music issued a statement warning its members to closely consider the fine print before signing a deal with Apple Music – again, the free trial period’s lack of payments to copyright owners stood at the centre of their concerns. [The Guardian]
Taylor Swift has joined the growing number of musicians and producers against Apple’s new streaming service. Recently, Apple announced that they will not be playing royalties during the three-month free trial period of their new streaming service, Apple Music. Apparently, Taylor Swift caught wind of this announcement and took to Tumblr to explain why she will keep her latest album off the Apple streaming service:
I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.
Swift emphasized that the decision “is not about me,” but rather about independent labels and new musicians:
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.
Recently, many independent labels have argued that they would be the most affected by the loss of revenues. In fact, The Guardian reported that Beggas Group, a UK-based indie label that represents the popular group FKA twigs, said:
Whilst we understand the logic of [Apple’s] proposal and their aim to introduce a subscription-only service, we struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs.
Taylor Swift concluded the post by urging Apple to revisit their policy:
But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.
Image Credit: Lester Balajadia / Shutterstock.com
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