Taylor Swift, Adele, Radiohead & Other Artists You Won’t Find On Apple Music
- Staff Reporter
- Jun 22, 2015 06:00 AM EDT
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Apple is not winning the approval of both mainstream and indie labels after announcing the three-month trial period and the Apple Connect feature of their newest music streaming service, Apple Music.
Just recently, Beggars Group, which is home to hit-makers including Bon Iver, Radiohead and Adele, as well as Taylor Swift, boldly expressed their opposition to the marketing scheme.
"In many ways the deal structure is very progressive, but unfortunately it was created without reference to us, or as far as we know any independents, and, as such, unsurprisingly presents problems for us and for our coming artist releases," the Beggars Group letter reads.
The platform, scheduled for release on June 30, is the newest rival of Spotify and Pandora. It allows users to stream songs, access customized playlists and listen to a 24-hour, live worldwide radio station. With the 3-month trial period, users can access songs without paying $9.99 per month (its regular rate), severely crippling rights-holders and royalties.
"We are naturally very concerned, especially for artists releasing new albums in the next three months, that all streaming on the new service will be unremunerated until the end of September," Beggars Group adds.
Another issue that was put on the spotlight is the Apple Connect feature of the said app. It allows artists to share their work directly to fans, but the contract presented to Beggars Group highlights Apple not compensating the artists or other rights holders.
"It is a mistake to treat these rights as royalty free, especially in light of recent licenses with services like Soundcloud," reads the letter.
The firm stand of indie labels is further backed up by 25-year-old singer Taylor Swift. In an open letter posted on her Tumblr titled "To Apple, Love Taylor," the artist explained why she'll be holding back her blockbuster album, "1989," from Apple Music.
"I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company," reacts the "Shake It Off" singer on the free 3-month trial offer.
"Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done," she adds.
Taylor reiterates that this plea is not just about her:
"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..."
Taylor has been pretty vocal about her take on streaming services. Last year, she said that "music should be consumed as albums" and even removed all her songs from Spotify, reports BuzzFeed.
Apple has remained mum about indie labels not signing in, and has not responded to Taylor's open letter yet, as of press time.
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