Following the latest news that Apple has reneged on their initial statement of not paying royalties to artists during the three month trial period for new users to Apple Music, Mashable recently asked a number of music services including Rdio and Rhapsody to provide some insight on Apple’s reaction to Taylor Swift’s criticism of their latest venture.
Rhapsody CFO, Ethan Rudin stated: “We think it’s the right move. All streaming music services have a responsibility to reeducate the consumer that music has value and by offering a service for free for 90 days without compensating the artists, goes against the work that we have been doing over the last 14 years. Every play from our service is paid for, which is possible because we do not give away Rhapsody for free in perpetuity. Taylor is a long-time friend of Rhapsody. Like Rhapsody, she believes in the power of a streaming music subscription that’s paid for and we’re excited to see her play such an active role educating consumers on the value of music.”
Rdio’s Alison Wong went to provide the company’s opinion while keeping her statement fairly pithy in nature: “The entire music industry would not exist without the talent and dedication of artists, from indie artists to the mega stars,” Rdio’s Alison Wong said. “Rdio has always had a strong policy of fairly compensating and being an advocate for artists and labels large and small. We are strong supporters of all artists and labels who help Rdio deliver a great customer experience and will continue to support musicians during all phases of their career.”
So what do you think? Is this reaction from other music services and providers coming off as a surprise? Or does it seem pretty standard for lesser known agencies to keep their opinions are professional and eloquently stated as possible when discussing anything related to Apple? Tweet us your thoughts @StarterNoise using the hashtag #mashablemusicinterview
