Taylor Swift made waves in the music industry when she opted to remove her entire catalog from Spotify. She explained at the time that she didn’t want to support “the perception that music has no value and should be free.” So it’s a bit of a surprise to learn that her latest album won’t be available on Apple Music.
Both Apple and Swift’s label told BuzzFeed News that her popular “1989” album won’t be available at the launch of the new streaming service. The representative from Big Machine Records said that there were no plans to release her latest album on any streaming platforms. However, Apple Music customers will be able to listen to her back catalog, which is also available on streaming services that require a paid subscription.
The approach Swift and her label are taking appear to be a do-it-yourself windowing. It’s an effort to corral her recent music into paid-only avenues, with the end goal of buying the full album, either as a CD or a digital download. That’s not a flawless plan, though, as evidenced by the huge volume of followers and videos Swift and her songs have on YouTube. And with the continued decline of listener interest in buying albums, it’s uncertain whether Swift alone can turn the tide.