Tech giant Apple late Sunday (Monday in the Philippines) bowed to pressure from pop superstar Taylor Swift and raised payments to artists for its forthcoming music streaming service.
The about-face by one of the world's most powerful companies showed the extraordinary influence of the 25-year-old Swift, who had vowed a partial boycott of the new Apple Music service.
Swift, saying that she was speaking up for artists afraid of upsetting Apple, had called the company's behavior "shocking" over its earlier plan not to pay for streams during customers' initial three-month free trial.
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said late Sunday that the company had shifted course and would compensate for streams in all stages.
Apple will always make sure that artist are paid #iTunes #AppleMusic
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015Cue separately told industry journal Billboard that he telephoned Swift, who is in Amsterdam on her tour, after receiving approval from Apple CEO Tim Cook.
He insisted that Apple never intended to avoid compensation and had heard plenty of concern from others besides Swift, although he was moved to action after she went public.
Around noon (Philippine Time), Swift expressed relief that the issue had been resolved positively and amicably:
I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 22, 2015In an interview with Re/code, Cue said that Swift’s letter and complaints from other artists had led to the policy change
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