Taylor Swift posts open letter to Apple Music (And exposes them)

[GagaMyBlood95 9,915]

She has a good point. I agree with her on this.
I don't think she is greedy. I wouldn't like to receive millions of dollars coins for my work either.

[rpggal 332]

I mean overall her point is right, but that "3 months unpaid work" crap you all keep repeating is such a fallacy. NO ONE is working for three months without pay. The WORK (i.e. LABOR that goes into the making of a product) has already been done, the music (product) is already made. Every artist WORKS for free. They are not paid laborers, their compensation is not for labor (work, services), but for GOODS (products). They make the product with no guarantee that it will sell, and they get no compensation for their work if it doesn't sell. It's a risk. As such the artist has to make sure they have other revenue streams to support themselves until their product starts selling (e.g. waiting tables, working a day job), and musicians unlike other artists that work in physical media have the luxury of doing that because once the music is recorded it can be digitally replicated ad infinitum without any added labor costs (which are also time and opportunity costs). Of course unpaid LABOR for 3 months would cause people to starve, lose everything they have, etc., because labor had the opportunity cost of only being able to work one (maybe two) jobs at a time. But that's not what's happening. Apple is leasing the use of their PRODUCT for three months without compensation (which I agree is wrong), all the while the artists are free to use their LABOR resources to procure other income (waitressing, day job, etc.). To say that artists are going to go under or starve because of this by drawing the false equivalence of 3 months unpaid work is totally disingenuous, and you guys repeating it makes it seem like you haven't really thought about how these artists were surviving this whole time before Apple music came along...?

[FGGrayson 9,670]

I mean overall her point is right, but that "3 months unpaid work" crap you all keep repeating is such a fallacy. NO ONE is working for three months without pay. The WORK (i.e. LABOR that goes into the making of a product) has already been done, the music (product) is already made. Every artist WORKS for free. They are not paid laborers, their compensation is not for labor (work, services), but for GOODS (products). They make the product with no guarantee that it will sell, and they get no compensation for their work if it doesn't sell. It's a risk. As such the artist has to make sure they have other revenue streams to support themselves until their product starts selling (e.g. waiting tables, working a day job), and musicians unlike other artists that work in physical media have the luxury of doing that because once the music is recorded it can be digitally replicated ad infinitum without any added labor costs (which are also time and opportunity costs). Of course unpaid LABOR for 3 months would cause people to starve, lose everything they have, etc., because labor had the opportunity cost of only being able to work one (maybe two) jobs at a time. But that's not what's happening. Apple is leasing the use of their PRODUCT for three months without compensation (which I agree is wrong), all the while the artists are free to use their LABOR resources to procure other income (waitressing, day job, etc.). To say that artists are going to go under or starve because of this by drawing the false equivalence of 3 months unpaid work is totally disingenuous, and you guys repeating it makes it seem like you haven't really thought about how these artists were surviving this whole time before Apple music came along...?

preach it!!

 

[PopBitch 1,218]

I read the full letter.  Taylor is right on point.  Apple is worth so much it's a joke.  They are unveiling their streaming service and trying to promote it for free for three months but don't want to pay the artists?   They need to eat the three months and pay all the artists as it is just a business write-off to try to make their streaming service a big success against the competition and get people to try it, which we know it will be a huge success, but it needs the artists to do this three-month freebie to promote Apple's new business ventrue.  Taylor stood up to them on principle for all artists.  She should be praised for this.  From what I've read on all kinds of music sites with people of all ages, many of which have musicians on them, she is universally being praised.  Apple is huge.  To say they can't and shouldn't have to absorb this cost, which is purely for launching their streaming service and building hype, is crazy.  

[Dayum 240]

People commenting like they're the most charitable persons alive, but really we all live by the saying you earn your keep. Indeed I am surprised that most of you are not condemning society's obligation on a person who has achieved success to refrain from exercising their property rights in circumstances where there is an opportunity to do something for free but without any charitable quality. Like all the stereotypes, and all the whatever-isms we have come up with, this should be added along for the sake of equality and consistency. The notion that success comes with the concession of your property rights is outmoded and should be banished into the past.

[PopBitch 1,218]

My friend just told me about this and i HOPED it was a joke.

What a pathetic message. So disappointed. She's so greedy. 

Educate yourself.  Apple is greedy.  It has nothing to do with greed by Taylor.  Common sense tells you that if educated on all the facts and reading her open letter..

[PopBitch 1,218]

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. 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.

These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.

Y'all are just messy.

Taylor is arguably one of the biggest songwriters in the world right now. If she speaks up about unfair deals within the entertainment industry and tries to give performers/producers/songwriters a platform to voice their sentiments, people will listen. And actually question/protest unfair deals. This would have gone COMPLETELY unnoticed if somebody like Grimes wrote it. I wanna see your cheap couch potato asses work three entire months for free and not just blow your parent's hard-earned money.

Amen.  

[LePetitGAGABLover 21,234]

Educate yourself.  Apple is greedy.  It has nothing to do with greed by Taylor.  Common sense tells you that if educated on all the facts and reading her open letter..

Actually, Apple, Taylor, and Taylor's record label are all greedy

[PopBitch 1,218]

Actually, Apple, Taylor, and Taylor's record label are all greedy

It's her work product and everyone else's.  How is that greedy? She's just big enough to take Apple on and is doing it on principle.  . Most are afraid of them..  This isn't one month of free streaming.  It's three months.  Apple has 800 million accounts, so the labels are falling in line to them on this.  Three months will pretty much keep a huge amount of people staying with Apple Music, the streaming venture.  They will be the biggest streaming company out there after this.  I guarantee it.  And they don't want to pay the artists for their work, the songwriters for their work, etc., as they launch this?  Hmmm.  How greedy of artists wanting to be paid by Apple for using their art, their work, as Apple, as a business, fights against Spotify and others  by giving a three-month free trial for their new venture?  I bet if this was Gaga she would be praised on here.  I'm not even a huge Taylor Swift fan, but I praise her on this.

[LoveandMagic 1,731]

As an artist, she's definitely entitled to do what she wants with her music. If this is what she feels she needs to do (or not in the case of Apple) then I have to respect her decision.

I mean overall her point is right, but that "3 months unpaid work" crap you all keep repeating is such a fallacy. NO ONE is working for three months without pay. The WORK (i.e. LABOR that goes into the making of a product) has already been done, the music (product) is already made. Every artist WORKS for free. They are not paid laborers, their compensation is not for labor (work, services), but for GOODS (products). They make the product with no guarantee that it will sell, and they get no compensation for their work if it doesn't sell. It's a risk. As such the artist has to make sure they have other revenue streams to support themselves until their product starts selling (e.g. waiting tables, working a day job), and musicians unlike other artists that work in physical media have the luxury of doing that because once the music is recorded it can be digitally replicated ad infinitum without any added labor costs (which are also time and opportunity costs). Of course unpaid LABOR for 3 months would cause people to starve, lose everything they have, etc., because labor had the opportunity cost of only being able to work one (maybe two) jobs at a time. But that's not what's happening. Apple is leasing the use of their PRODUCT for three months without compensation (which I agree is wrong), all the while the artists are free to use their LABOR resources to procure other income (waitressing, day job, etc.). To say that artists are going to go under or starve because of this by drawing the false equivalence of 3 months unpaid work is totally disingenuous, and you guys repeating it makes it seem like you haven't really thought about how these artists were surviving this whole time before Apple music came along...?

This makes a lot of sense, actually.

[chris777 112]

 

Come on. They don't even receive that much money from streaming services. That's a known fact.

Plus, Apple only cares for itself. 

[GagaMyBlood95 9,915]

Come on. They don't even receive that much money from streaming services. That's a known fact.

Plus, Apple only cares for itself. 

Not from streaming serices, but if you have a contract with them, you have other benefits, Apple Music is just a new thing that comes with it.

[Sister 9,907]

She is always pressed about money, I could not be a fan of hers for that reason alone.

[Bloody hooker 6,445]

It's just three months Taylor. Its not like it's for 1+ years. I understand she's for artist getting paid, but that just made it sound like she's in it for money now and not the music.

[PopBitch 1,218]

Go, Swifty.  You did it.