TRENDING

Celebs

Taylor Swift is using her voice for more than just her concerts

 
Taylor Swift’s always been known for using her voice, whether it’s for her amazing songs, chatting with her devoted fans or, most importantly, bringing attention to a worthy cause. 

Tay’s been putting her voice to work for feminism ever since she realized she was a feminist herself (even if it took a little self-discovery to get there), but she’s also got another issue that’s close to her heart: fair pay for artists. 

A new streaming service, Apple Music is building up its user base by offering a free three-month trial where music lovers can jam out to their library of tunes. The problem, though, was that Apple Music wasn’t just sharing music for free—they were also using it for free, meaning they had no plans to pay the performers, writers or producers whose music they were playing.

This didn’t seem right to Taylor, who took to her Tumblr to speak out against it, not just for herself, but also for the hard working artists whose voices aren’t as loud. Here’s some of what she had to say:

“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 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.... Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing.... Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.”

Talk about powerful words. Even more awesome? Tay’s message actually prompted Apple to take action, with Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue tweeting that Apple Music will now pay artists for their music, even during the free trial period.

We’re so proud of Taylor for standing up for herself and everyone in the music industry—and we’re not the only ones. Calvin Harris, Tay’s rumored boyfriend (though it’s basically confirmed by now) also showed his support for Taylor, tweeting, “My girl just changed the entire music industry what a day.” (And just in case that’s not enough proof for you, Calvin’s also catsitting Olivia and Meredith for Taylor while she’s on tour. Um, can you say husband material?)

You're amazing, Tay! Keep rocking and standing up for what you believe in.

Have you ever use your voice to support a cause that was important to you? Tell us in the comments.

Photo credit to: Taylor Swift

POSTED IN

by Nehal Aggarwal and Chelsea Duff | 2/1/2016
share