Graham Henderson on Taylor Swift, Apple, and the Canadian music industry

Music Canada applauds Apple Music’s decision to reconsider its earlier plans to not pay artists during its three-month free trial period, and we commend Taylor Swift for standing up for artists. In an open letter to Apple that she released on June 22, she writes that she wanted to speak up not for herself, but for “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. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field… but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs.”

The decision comes after major backlash over the deal both in Canada and abroad, with many independent labels and advocacy groups speaking against Apple.

Yesterday, Music Canada President Graham Henderson appeared on BNN, the Sandie Ronaldo show and CTV’s national news to discuss how this decision will impact Canadian consumers, artists, and the digital music industry as a whole.

Apple’s ‘Swift’ action a step towards bringing back middle class musicians
BNN, June 22 2015