PALO ALTO — Taylor Swift has Apple changing its tune. Hours after the pop superstar criticized the giant tech company in an open letter posted online, Apple announced Sunday that it will pay royalties to artists and record labels for music played during a free, three-month trial of its new streaming music service. “When I woke up this morning and I saw Taylor's note that she had written, it really solidified that we needed to make a change,” said Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue in an interview. Apple had already agreed to share revenue from paid subscriptions to the new Apple Music service, which will cost $10 a month. But Swift said she would withhold her latest album from the service because Apple wasn't planning to pay artists and labels directly for the use of their music during the free, introductory period.
“We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation,” Swift wrote in an open letter posted Sunday on her Tumblr page, under the heading “To Apple, Love Taylor. ” - AP
