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Apple To Pay Musicians For Free Streams, After All
vivaoporto writes: As reported on Re/code, Apple media boss Eddy Cue appears to have capitulated and Apple Music will be paying music owners for streaming even during customers's free trial period. He says Taylor Swift's letter, coupled with complaints from indie labels and artists, did indeed prompt the change.
Cue says Apple will pay rights holders for the entire three months of the trial period. He explains that it can't be at the same rate that Apple is paying them after free users become subscribers, since Apple is paying out a percentage of revenues once subscribers start paying. Instead, he says, Apple will pay rights holders on a per-stream basis.
No word from Swift or her camp about whether Apple's move is enough to get her to put "1989," her newest album, on Apple Music. On Twitter, she says, "I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us."
Cue says Apple will pay rights holders for the entire three months of the trial period. He explains that it can't be at the same rate that Apple is paying them after free users become subscribers, since Apple is paying out a percentage of revenues once subscribers start paying. Instead, he says, Apple will pay rights holders on a per-stream basis.
No word from Swift or her camp about whether Apple's move is enough to get her to put "1989," her newest album, on Apple Music. On Twitter, she says, "I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us."
Apple finally has Swift support!
There are 2 types of people in the world - those who understand decimal and those who don't.
Never underestimate the marketing power of 20 million tweenage girls.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
So here's an interesting one. I am a musician in my spare time, and I have an album up on iTunes. It's a good job my life's income doesn't depend on this - we are talking tiny sums of money made, but it is my album and it's an achievement for me to have an album out there and hey - there are people that like it.
I have no idea if this album is included in streaming or not. I'm not signed to a label, and nobody has asked me if I want to be included or excluded. I would have thought, given the talk of "pulling the album" etc. that there must be a separate agreement I should have to make but I haven't seen anything at all about it.
The music was published via an intermediary, Ditto Music, but they're just a publishing service and not a label. In fact, I own the label it was published under and that is the label's sole release to date. What's the situation for musicians like me? Included, excluded, paid, unpaid...?
how LAWS weren't what prompted the change.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Meet the new boss, just as sleazy and thieving as the old boss.
well, at least until called out on it....
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
More likely USA based Apple lawyers finally got around too consulting with their European counterparts and discovered that what the opting in without written confirmation that they where proposing to do was flat out illegal over here.
"Never underestimate the marketing power of 20 million tweenage girls."
Exactly, because the 20 million teenage boys torrent their music.
In my experience a company in these circumstances would pretend to have changed their policy on their own (coincidentally), or they were just "clarifying" their policy due to "misunderstanding". It looks like Apple is actually admitting that they messed up, which is good.
I deliberately didn't in case seen as spam but - here you go. Am currently in the "difficult second album" phase - all written, not quite satisfied with the production.
The information wants to be free, and the artists aren't any worse off for having their tunes downloadable by millions of people — they still have their own copies, so no theft has occurred, right? Right?
Intellectual property — as I read on this very site — is an artificial and oppressive construct and must be resisted!
Troll my foot — do try to reconcile Slashdot's usual attitude towards rights of intellectual property owners with the celebratory attitude in reaction to TFA.
I dare you to come up with a coherent explanation of why pirating music (or duplicating patented designs, whatever) is Ok for some people and corporations, but not for Apple...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
The people paying for the music because they see value in the artist/music are subsidizing you.
Congrats, you're the welfare abuser of music.
There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
Have gnu, will travel.
Euro-laws. The very reason your economy sucks and you have 20% unemployment.
Good point. That's why so many Europeans work two full time jobs and live in their cars. Lucky for Europe a large percentage of their population is in prison or the economy of so many towns built entirely on the local prisons, would collapse.
Oh wait - that is the USA.
Oh well, lucky for the USA the entire European economy is built on debt... oh, crap - that is the USA too.
[citation needed], because from the reporting I've heard, they negotiated new deals with the record labels. That's why it's getting reported that a lot of music from iTunes is still missing from Apple Music. They didn't opt anyone in without their permission.
Exactly, because the 20 million teenage boys torrent their music.
Then why not put all your assets into production for the girls who are willing and able to pay for your product?
And the plug worked! Listened to a few samples and decided to get it. Since I'm an instant gratification junky rather than wait and get it for free in a few days I threw money at Amazon. Look for your $0.02 royalty check in next months mail :)
"And speaking of debt... last I checked, Greece isn't in the US..."
The debt issue in Greece is the public (government) debt, not private (personal) debt. Also, public debt per capita is about 1/3 more for the US as compared to Greece.
Actually quite a few European labels were refusing to sign up with Apple. They couldn't get Adele, for example, because her label was refusing to sign on. They released a statement today saying they would be on board.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
It seems unfair since the artists since the artists are receiving some benefit of exposure during the trial too. I think it would be fair to have some sort of reduced fees during the trial period to recognize the fact that Apple still has expenses related to providing the service.
Can you think of an example of that happening in any other industry?
I'm opening a new store specializing in _____. Please send me some of your inventory at no cost to me so that I can offer it for less or free in order to attract future paying customers to my business. Eventually I'll start paying you for your product.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Source: http://www.cultofmac.com/32698...
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