8:55 p.m. EDT June 22, 2015 Taylor Swift's Apple takedown cements her status as one of the most powerful people in media.
Behold the power of Taylor Swift. That's what Apple is doing Monday — you know Apple, just one of the richest and most powerful corporations in history. It all went down over Apple Music, the company's new streaming service. Here's how the 25-year-old pop star, in the course of one day, got the tech behemoth to reverse a position she said hurts artists: Apple Music's policy. Apple decided not to pay artist royalties during the three-month trial period for its soon-to-be-launched Apple Music.
Swift revolts. Swift thought this was bunk, and she wasn't about to shake it off.
So she scolded Apple on Sunday in an open letter on her Tumblr (oozing her signature sweetness with "To Apple, Love Taylor"). In it, she said she wouldn't let 1989, the top-selling album of 2014 and of 2015 so far, on Apple's service. She wrote: "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation." Ouch.
Apple's response. They listened (a legion of fans goes a long way). Her post clearly catalyzed high-level meetings, and late Sunday night Apple Music chief Eddy Cue tweeted "#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer's free trial period" followed by, "We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple."
What this means for the industry. OK, Swift isn't the first music artist to leverage her talent and sales power to get her way against powerful music distribution bosses, and she won't be the last. But she's probably the youngest, and the nicest, to do so and win so decisively, and with positive implications for other music artists less rich and famous than she.
If Swift won, does that mean Apple lost? Not really. With nearly $200 billion in cash reserves, USA TODAY tech columnist Jefferson Graham says the company can afford to pay artists. Plus, Swift's open letter translated to thousands of headlines for Apple. If people weren't aware the company was set to launch a new music service, they are now.
