Apple Music's change of heart brings indie labels on board
It looks like Cupertino’s decision to reverse course and pay royalties to artists during the three-month free trial of Apple Music has paid off. According to a recent report from Billboard, Beggars Group, which owns 4AD, XL, Matador, and Rough Trade, has signed on with Apple Music. Merlin, which represents 20,000 independent labels and distributors, has also recommended the deal to its members.
We previously reported that Beggars Group was refusing to sign on with Apple Music, and Taylor Swift published a blog post outlining her rationale for boycotting the new streaming service. As a result of Swift’s blog post, Apple announced that it would reverse course and pay artists royalties on a per-listen basis.
With Beggars Group coming aboard Apple Music, such names as Adele, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Prodigy, and others will join the streaming service. Adele, of course, has enough clout to make her own decision about whether her albums will be included in Apple Music, so it’s not yet a guarantee that she will join the service.
The inclusion of Europe’s largest independent labels is great news for Apple Music, since it means the service will be able to include up and coming new artists along with true innovators in the industry. As a reminder, Apple Music launches on June 30, and will include a free three month trial. After the trial period, the service will cost $9.99 monthly.
