Just hours after Taylor Swift publicly criticized Apple Music for their royalties policy, the giant tech company "changed its course," The New York Times reported.
In an open letter to Apple, the "Bad Blood" singer said she was withholding her 1989 album from Apple's music service after learning the company wasn't going to pay writers, producers, or artists during its three-month free trial period.
"I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company," Swift wrote on the Tumblr blog.
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, seems to have capitulated to the seven-time Grammy Award winner. Last night he tweeted that Apple Music "will pay artists for streaming, even during customer's free trial period."
"When I woke up this morning and read Taylor's note, it really solidified that we need to make a change," Cue said in an interview, according to NewsOk.
In her letter the successful singer emphasized that she is more concerned about upcoming artists that have not had the same amount of success she's had.
"This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows," she wrote. "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, 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."
According to the Associated Press, Cue did not say how much Apple will pay in royalties during the free trial period.