Taylor Swift fans are getting to hear even more of the “Bad Blood” singer in light of her latest news. After three years of boycotting Spotify over royalty disputes, Swift has officially shaken off her feud with steaming services. As of June 9th, Taylor Swift’s entire music catalog, which includes her most recent album 1989, will be available for streaming.
The announcement was made on her official fan Instagram and Twitter pages, Taylor Nation, the day before the release. In addition to Spotify, listeners will also have access to Swift’s music on Pandora, Amazon Music, Google Play and TIDAL. Apple music was previously the only streaming service able to stream the Grammy award winning album – Swift gave rights to the company after it was decided artists would be paid during the three-month trial at her urging.
According to the social media announcement, Swift made the decision to thank her fans, who have attributed to the more than 10 million copies of 1989 sold across the globe.
“We can confirm that Taylor Swift’s entire back catalogue is now available on Spotify for her millions of fans to enjoy,” Spotify told The Guardian.
Music consumption has changed immensely over the past two decades and artists have had to adapt to new payment practices – which have caused numerous disputes. Swift isn’t the only singer who has called out the streaming service industry. Prince, Jay Z and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke have all expressed displeasure with the way artists are paid when their music is streamed.
However, Spotify shows no signs of losing popularity any time soon. With more than 50 million paid subscribers and 100 million total subscribers from around the world, it’s clear that platform is here to stay.
Before she pulled her music Swift was one of Spotify’s most popular artists, with songs on more than 19 million playlists, but her relationship with the service has been bumpy from the start. After her Red album was released, she initially refused to give Spotify rights to stream it, stating artists receive as little as $0.006 to $0.0084 for each song play.
What do you think about Swift’s change of heart? Was it a strategic move, or a yielding to the inevitable? Swift’s move undoubtedly raises some intriguing questions about the future of music, and the role of streaming. Only time will tell with Taylor Swift Spotify streams.