Taylor Swift's Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

By Elana Goodwin on June 30, 2015

Last week, Taylor Swift proved she’s a force to be reckoned with when she posted an open letter to Apple, criticizing their decision not to pay artists during the free three-month trial period of their new streaming service, and the following day, Apple reversed their policy.

Photo Credit: Greg Allen/Invision/AP

Swift previously drew media attention of the same ilk when she withdrew her albums from music-streaming Spotify late last year, saying, “I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists and creators of this music. And I just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.”

In her open letter to Apple that she posted to Tumblr, Swift wrote that “We don’t ask you for free iPhones … Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.” The singer-songwriter also wrote that her latest album, “1989″ wouldn’t be included on Apple Music.

“1989,” which came out in late October of last year, sold over 1.28 million copies in the first week, the first album to do so since 2002. Altogether, “1989″ sold 3.66 million copies last year, becoming the best-selling album, surpassing even the “Frozen” soundtrack. (And you know that was largely based on the fact that nobody could get “Let It Go” out of their head).

Additionally, Taylor Swift became the first artist in history to have sold a million copies in the first week three times in a row (her previous albums “Speak Now” and “Red” also sold over 1 million copies in their first weeks).

After Taylor wrote her disapproving post, other artists, including “I Wanna Get Better” singer Jack Antonoff and Christina Perri, the “A Thousand Years” singer, came forward supporting her stance.

The day after Swift’s post calling out the tech company, senior Apple executive Eddy Cue tweeted that Apple Music will pay artists, even during the three-month trial period. Cue told Billboard in an interview that it was Swift’s letter that prompted Apple to make some changes.

Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

This recent turn of events showed Swift has real power and the ability to change the music business, which is especially important at a time when many artists worry about declining record sales, something Swift doesn’t really have to worry about as she continues to sell out arena shows, release multiplatinum records, and generally dominate the music biz.

While Swift wrote in her post that “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,” by taking a stand against Apple’s policy, she established herself as an influential player, willing to look out not only for her self-interests, but for other artists’ as well.

Of course, there’s more to the story than just Swift admonishing Apple and within a day, Apple changing their tune (pun intended). Besides Taylor Swift, independent labels across the globe had been protesting Apple’s plans, arguing that not paying artists for the three-month trial period would result in a huge drop in earnings, and Apple is pretty much the music industry’s biggest sales market, meaning that loss could be catastrophic.

Though some are only noticing Swift’s leadership abilities now, Fortune Magazine was ahead of the game, having named Taylor Swift number six on their “world’s greatest leaders” list earlier this year. Swift was ranked ahead of highly influential figures, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Time magazine also recently lauded Taylor Swift when they named her a finalist for their Person of the Year.

Besides these accolades, Swift and her new beau, Scottish DJ/producer Calvin Harris, were named as the Highest-Paid Couple by Forbes, dethroning Beyonce and Jay Z, from the number 1 spot on the list. Last year, “Tayvin” raked in $146 million, more than the $110.5 million Bey-Jay did.

Harris, aside from being the other half of “Tayvin,” is impressive in his own right, having been the highest-paid DJ of 2013 and 2014. Harris also holds the record for the most top 10 hits from one studio album on the UK Singles Chart, with nine hits, more so even than Michael Jackson. Harris has also written and or produced tracks for Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Mary K. Blige, Dizzee Rascal, and more.

So move over Queen B, there’s a new queen in town. Queen T has ascended the throne — and she’s using her voice to call for changes and make waves, establishing her power position while looking out for other artists. When it comes to Taylor Swift, her pen really is mightier than the sword.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format