The September 2015 issue of Vanity Fair features Taylor Swift on the cover, and she wasn't afraid to say a few not-so-nice things about music streaming service Spotify. Back in November 2014, the "Blank Space" singer pulled out all of her albums on the said service. According to a report by Business Insider, she believed that music streaming services generally didn't "value her art."
Apple Music wasn't so safe either once it launched with its three-month free trial. Swift's open letter regarding the compensation of the artists during the trial quickly went viral and eventually got the attention of Apple. In a surprising move, the corporate giant swiftly changed its terms and announced that they were going to pay the artists during the trial period.
Swift told Vanity Fair that she was surprised that the billion-dollar corporation handled the situation with humility, while Spotify, or as she calls it the "the start-up with no cash flow," reacted to criticism like a corporate machine. Sounds like there's still "Bad Blood" between them!
The "Shake It Off" superstar also shared that she appreciated how she was treated like "the voice of a creative community." As of late, her full discography is up on Apple Music, while Spotify only consists of playlists with Taylor Swift covers.
The country singer-turned-pop star has always been vocal about her views on her art and how music streaming services seem to devalue musicians' artistry. Swift has written an opinion piece on The Wall Street Journal last year, which stated: "Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for..."
Swift has always been firm about her views on the matter, and she has ever since been urging her fellow musicians to share her views on the issue.
