To Apple, Love Taylor UPDATE: Apple changes policy

[OmarBradley]

Honestly, both Taylor and Apple can go fuck themselves. This is just rich people doing what rich people do: argue over money. A sick culture pays its entertainers the extraordinary wages some of these people make. It's about time so-called artists reassess their shit. Read a history book and see what happens to people who live in castles.

Well, I sort of agree. But if you work for a hedge fund, and you generate $5 million in profit for the company in a year, don't you think you deserve more than $40k per annum? I don't think it's about what you're entitled to, I think it's about matching the revenue you generate for your company (record label). So if an album sells 1 million copies..... don't you think you deserve more than 40K for that? This goes for sports stars too, if you hit 3 home runs a game on average.... well you're pulling the team more than the other guys are.

The only reason I'm advocating for the entertainer getting a large amount of money, is because I don't want the label to get that money. Although I am often disgusted with the behavior of artists, I'm more often disgusted with the practices of major record labels.

Personally, I'd be thrilled if someone called me tomorrow and said: "Here's your deal, you can record your album with Sony, Warner will do US distribution/promotion, and Frontiers will do Europe. Then we'll put together a tour where you open for a national act for 4-5 months. The catch: you can only claim at most $40K in salary from band related revenue during the course of the 5 year contract." But I can see the argument that if you generate a huge sum of profit, you deserve a big sum too.

It's streaming music, correct? You don't download the songs and possess copies, right? If so, then new artists can weigh the money they'd lose in those 3 months in one hand, and the benefit of exposure and the promise of royalties after 3 months in the other. Then they should empty their hands and slap Taylor Swift across both sides of her bitch face.

Yeah that's true, but she was arguing based on principal. The reality, as you said, is that streaming barely even generates serious revenue for mega stars, much much less for those just starting out or at mid levels. But you can't just say, "well no one makes $ off of it anyway, let them have this battle."

This seems like the part people might have looked past:

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.

So she don't mind if she don't get her cut in this situation, this is all her giving it up for 'the young songwriter'? Maybe the problem is the reason that young singer songwriter is in debt in the first place, which is more to do with the way the industry, that Taylor is trying to support here, is configured. Maybe those young singer songwriters should use their fucking brains and not accept massive advances from record companies that leave them essentially in debt, waiting on royalties. By attacking this whole downloading and streaming and free music shit and supporting the old structure you essentially propping up the structure that puts these poor bastards in debt in the first place.

Yup, exactly. It genuinely costs less than $1,000 to record a good sounding album. You have to know what you're doing and be a bit clever, especially if you don't have a space..... but I submit that it's easily possible regardless of circumstance. Just listen to the recording Klay just posted. His recording rig cost less than $500 if I remember correctly (not including instruments/amps of course).

The few people I know in bands trying to build a following voluntarily and eagerly post their music for free any place they can. Anecdotal, but there it is.

Yeah there's a line that must be met in the exposure dichotomy of: 1) My music is a product, people should pay for it vs. 2) People need to hear it to promote interest and (hopefully) future purchases.

I tend to agree with the latter, but I'm still cautious. There are a lot of legit promoters, labels, managers etc. who know they can get away with thievery essentially. Basically, my deal is that I personally, or my band, can give our music/services for free to anyone we want. But we will never entrust a third party with that ability.

[Sixes]

I love when Swifty does things like this because my Facebook page then gets flooded with pics of her. Me likey

[Zeppelin]

Good ol' PR.

[arnold layne]

People still use iTunes?

[bran]

The few people I know in bands trying to build a following voluntarily and eagerly post their music for free any place they can. Anecdotal, but there it is.

i have had a couple of bands actually tell me to upload their music for free.

[Apollo]

This seems like the part people might have looked past:

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 fieldbut will not get paid for a quarter of a years worth of plays on his

or her songs.

So she don't mind if she don't get her cut in this situation, this is all her giving it up for 'the young songwriter'? Maybe the problem is the reason that young singer songwriter is in debt in the first place, which is more to do with the way the industry, that Taylor is trying to support here, is configured. Maybe those young singer songwriters should use their fucking brains and not accept massive advances from record companies that leave them essentially in debt, waiting on royalties. By attacking this whole downloading and streaming and free music shit and supporting the old structure you essentially propping up the structure that puts these poor bastards in debt in the first place.

Lol. If this was NWA or some old rapper or punk bass player doing it you would be hailing them as Kings and badasses for standing up to, taking on, and beating the corporate business world of the music industry.

[Len Cnut]

This seems like the part people might have looked past:

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 fieldbut will not get paid for a quarter of a years worth of plays on his

or her songs.

So she don't mind if she don't get her cut in this situation, this is all her giving it up for 'the young songwriter'? Maybe the problem is the reason that young singer songwriter is in debt in the first place, which is more to do with the way the industry, that Taylor is trying to support here, is configured. Maybe those young singer songwriters should use their fucking brains and not accept massive advances from record companies that leave them essentially in debt, waiting on royalties. By attacking this whole downloading and streaming and free music shit and supporting the old structure you essentially propping up the structure that puts these poor bastards in debt in the first place.

Lol. If this was NWA or some old rapper or punk bass player doing it you would be hailing them as Kings and badasses for standing up to, taking on, and beating the corporate business world of the music industry.

No I wouldn't, NWA can't do anything like this cuz there ain't an NWA. Dr Dre was in NWA though and he went for Napster and I said he was a cunt for it then and he's a cunt for it now. The ones I admire are the ones that show their worth, someone like Liam Gallagher for instance who came out and said he doesn't give a toss if people download stuff for free. And although I never use the phrase 'bad ass' Liam Gallagher proved to me why he's a fuckin' lad that day.

And furthermore i fail to see how corporations have been taken on and defeated at all here, just another billionaire skinflint throwing their weight around over which group of rich bandits gets the money. Rich people arguing about which one of em gets to be richest.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Len B'stard

[Silent Jay]

Just in case:

Lars Ulrich has spoken about Apple's new streaming service Apple Music, saying it would be a "no-brainer" to team with the tech giant.

'They’re very passionate about artists'

Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/metallica/86435?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=metallica#yPzoL1gy3o1eKhB4.99