Apple Music hasn’t even launched yet and the music streaming service is already being hit with tons of criticism and even legal investigations. As far as the criticism goes, numerous indie labels are complaining about the three-month free trial that Apple has been using as a major selling point for the service. The problem with it is that these indie labels, many of which need every bit of revenue that they can get, won’t be paid any royalties during this three-month period.
UK indie label group Beggars has added its voice to the backlash building against Apple Music, amid news that the music streaming service will not pay royalties to copyright-owning record labels and music publishers during its initial three-month free trial period. In a statement sent to Beggars’ labels, artists and managers, the group outlined their concern over the terms of a potential deal with Apple, and stated that they had not yet signed an agreement with the tech company. They also expressed worry over whether or not independent labels and the artists on their rosters would be treated as well as the industry’s three major labels and their artists. “We are naturally very concerned, especially for artists releasing new albums in the next three months, that all streaming on the new service will be unremunerated until the end of September,” the statement read. “Whilst we understand the logic of [Apple’s] proposal and their aim to introduce a subscription-only service, we struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs.” Beggard Group includes labels XL, Rough Trade, Young Turks, Matador and 4AD in the UK.
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