Taylor Swift For The Win! Apple Music WILL Pay Artists

Is there anything Taylor Swift can't do? Just hours after the pop star took Apple Music to task for a free-trial policy that wouldn't pay artists for their work, the company has done an about-face. In an interview with Billboard, Apple's senior vice president of internet services and software Eddy Cue announced that the streaming service will pay royalties during its three-month free trials. Victory! "When I woke up this morning and saw what Taylor had written, it really solidified that we needed a change," Cue told the magazine. "And so that's why we decide we will now pay artists during the trial period." He added that it was "never [Apple's] intent" to take advantage of artists, saying the company had originally planned to negotiate higher royalty rates. Following feedback from Swift and other artists, he and Apple CEO Tim Cook hammered out a policy change. Swift, naturally, was among the first to be notified, via a personal phone call. "I let her know that we heard her concerns and are making the changes," Cue revealed. "We have a long relationship with Taylor so I wanted her to hear directly from us." The singer shared her delight about the change on Twitter.

To recap: Those three-month trials will still be free. Artists will now get paid. Apple will eat the cost to keep performers and consumers happy. It's a win-win-win. We have reached out to Apple for comment, and will update this story as it unfolds.