Why Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Is Still Not Available On TIDAL


Taylor Swift was able to get Apple on her good graces. The 22-year-old singer wrote an open letter to Apple explaining the reason why she wouldn’t allow 1989 on their new streaming service. She explained that Apple doesn’t pay its artists during its three months free trial. Apple responded on Twitter by saying that they have decided to pay their artists during those three months, and all is well with the world.

Taylor Swift’s open letter has been penned as “victory” by various media sites. Some have even described Swift as a powerful force in both the music industry and the tech industry. Swift’s name and power influences the music business. Still, Swift has been receiving her share of criticism from other streaming services and artists who value their hard work.

This isn’t the first that Taylor has spoken out against a streaming service. She pulled her catalog from Spotify. Taylor also revealed that she wouldn’t allow the release of 1989 since it wouldn’t be available on the service’s paid tier. Now, it’s being reported that Taylor was paid by Apple to leave Spotify.

According to NextShark, investigators found that Swift was paid by Apple execs to leave Spotify. Some claimed that Apple was writing up big money contracts with major music labels so the artists could pull their music from streaming sites that offer free services.

It’s interesting that in the middle of her battle with Apple, Swift’s 1989 still isn’t available on Tidal. Swift’s full catalog is available on Jay Z’s new streaming service except for her new album. Several news sites reported that on March 23, 2015, all of Swift’s music was available except those from her critically-acclaimed 1989 album. Even fans are still wondering why Swift hasn’t released her new album since jumping ship to Tidal.

So, where is 1989 and when is it going to arrive to Tidal? iDigitalTimes says that it could happen anytime soon, but there’s doubt that Swift will release her album because of high “consumer response.”

“There’s no word currently on when to expect 1989 to hit Tidal, though it could be soon depending on consumer response.”

Reps for Taylor Swift released a statement to MTV News to clarify the reason as to why 1989 is still not on Tidal.

“Taylor Swift’s albums, except for the multi-platinum 1989, all appear on streaming services that require a subscription fee. This has never changed. Big Machine Records believes music has value and we do not believe Taylor’s music should be made available for free.”

1989 is NOT available on Tidal. 1989 is NOT available on any streaming service. I realize the image appears there but it does not stream on their platform.”

It’s probably because Tidal still offers a free trial after users complained that it didn’t offer a free tier like Spotify. The streaming service is currently giving users a 30-day free trial. After the 30 days, listeners can pay $9.99 per month for TIDAL Premium (or the $8.49 value plan for six months) or the $19.99 TIDAL HiFi plan (or the $16.99 value plan for six months).

As Taylor Swift and her reps have said, she doesn’t believe in giving out her music for free. She especially doesn’t believe in giving out her new music for free when Apple originally didn’t intend to pay its artists during the three months free trial. But does that mean that Tidal also doesn’t pay its artists during the 30 day free trial? Fans will continue to wait to see if Swift will ever release 1989 on both Apple Music and TIDAL in the coming months.

[Image: Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images for TAS]

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