Wealth = power = influence. We see this model taken advantage of over and over in our capitalist utopia. But what if someone with such influence decided to use their powers for good? Amongst us has risen such a hero, or heroine, rather.
Taylor Swift, using corporate tactics against one of the largest corporate entities in the world, was able to change Apple’s tune by threatening to pull her music.
Apple had expressed its intentions not to pay rights holders for music played during a free 3-month trial of the new Apple Music streaming service. Swift subsequently penned a letter via tumblr crusading for artist’s rights issuing statements like,
“This is not about me. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt.”
The country/pop icon further decreed to pull her latest album, 1989, which sold over 1.2 million copies in its first week of release, from itunes. This garnered the young superstar a personal call from Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue assuring her that artists will indeed be paid during the free trial. Cue also made his intentions public via Twitter. 
Cue told BuzzFeed, “[Apple] will pay artists on a per stream basis during the free three-month trial. Afterwards, it will pay music owners 71.5-percent of Apple Music’s subscription revenue in the United States.”
Swift has expressed her gratitude but not yet stated whether or not she has reversed her decision regarding offering her music to the media powerhouse. Once again, as a champion of the people, we owe a resounding thank you to Taylor Swift for giving Apple a taste of their own juice.
