Widespread criticism of Apple\u2019s decision not to pay royalties during Apple Music\u2019s free trial period has convinced the company to change its mind. Just\u00a0hours after Taylor Swift spoke out against the policy on her blog, Apple announced it will now\u00a0pay up while customers listen for free.<\/p>\n
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The announcement came from Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, who tweeted, \u201cApple Music will pay artist for streaming, even during customer\u2019s free trial period. We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cue then confirmed to\u00a0Recode\u00a0<\/em>that Apple will pay rights holders on a per-stream basis during the entire three-month trial period. Once customers start paying, those payments will then revert to a percentage of Apple Music revenue.<\/p>\n \u201cI did reach out to Taylor today, and talked to her, and let her know that we heard her concerns, and wanted her to know that we were making changes,\u201d Cue told\u00a0Recode.\u00a0<\/em>\u201cShe was thrilled to hear from us and that we were making the change, and we were grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Swift also tweeted to say that she was \u201celated and relieved,\u201d and to thank fans for their words of support. It\u2019s unclear whether Apple\u2019s change of mind will convince Swift to allow her hit\u00a01989\u00a0<\/em>album to be streamed on Apple Music, however.<\/p>\n Apple reportedly worked hard to convince labels to allow it to stream music at no cost during Apple Music\u2019s free trial period, so it\u2019s surprising that the company has now changed its mind. But this certainly seems like the right thing to do \u2014 especially given Apple\u2019s resources.<\/p>\n Swift praised Apple Music for its goal of getting all users to pay for music streaming, but she labeled the decision not to pay creators during the trial \u201cshocking, disappointing, and completely unlike\u201d Apple. Swift added her rant was \u201cnot about me,\u201d but about indie artists who relied on the paycheck.<\/p>\n Apple Music will make its public debut on June 30, at which point all users will be able to enjoy the service for free for three months before paying $9.99 each, or $14.99 for up to six members on a family plan.<\/p>\n