Taylor Swift ‘Working Hard’ On New Album: Will It Drop On Spotify?


Taylor Swift is on an extended hiatus from making music. The singer also took a break from social media. She’s hardly posted much this year except to speak out about the Women’s March and to promote her final concert of 2017. That doesn’t mean Taylor is staying away quietly. She is expected to return to the music scene later this year. Everyone, including her fans, has been wondering where she’s been lately. It has been confirmed the songwriter has been tucked away in Nashville, working on new music.

There has been a great concern for the 27-year-old as she was faced with another stalker scare. Swift has since taken a break from the public eye in recent months. She rarely posts on Instagram and Twitter. She also has been avoiding public events, which is a striking contrast to 2016. Her disappearance has led Swift’s fans to wonder where she is and who she’s with. She’s not dating anyone new or hanging out with her squad.

A source confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that she “has been busy working on her upcoming album.”

Taylor Swift is confused about whether she should continue her pop music streak. [Image by Graham Denholm/Getty Images]

Taylor is trying to figure out her image and music style at the moment. The “Bad Blood” singer is trying to get the feel and sound of her new album. Taylor is not sure whether she wants to continue singing pop music or return to her country music roots. The source did say that Taylor expects to drop new music by the end of the year.

ET’s source said that Swift has been quietly tucked away in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was spotted driving around last week.

“She comes here to get away from the paparazzi,” an eyewitness told the outlet.

Will Taylor return to Spotify once she drops her new album? She changed the music industry forever when she wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed explaining why she pulled her music from the online streaming service.

“It’s my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album’s price point is,” Swift wrote. “I hope they don’t underestimate themselves or undervalue their art.”

Will Taylor Swift shake off her fight with Spotify? [Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DIRECTV]

That could all change due to a deal signed by Universal Music Group earlier this week. The two industry giants announced that they reached an agreement allowing UMG artists to “window” their new albums, choosing to decide to let only those paying for a subscription to listen to the released album for the first two weeks, reports Forbes. Spotify has forbidden this policy in the past, saying that no one would be able to listen to the new music.

How is Swift related? She is signed to Big Machine Records, which is partnered with Universal Music Group. That means the new deal signed by Spotify head Daniel Ek this week and UMG included Swift when it comes to new albums.

Universal Music Group also releases music from other artists such as Florence and The Machine and DeadMau5. In a press release, Universal Music Group chief executive Sir Lucian Grange said the popularity of streaming music companies like Spotify have played a major role in the new agreement.

“Eight years ago, when streaming was a welcome but small source of revenue, UMG embraced partners like Spotify as a way to help return music to a vibrant future benefitting the entire ecosystem,” Grange said. “Working hand in hand with these digital services brought us the industry’s first real growth in nearly two decades. Today, streaming represents the majority of the business. Our challenge is transforming that upturn into sustainable growth.”

Spotify wasn’t the only place Taylor removed her music catalog from. She also pulled her music from Apple’s new streaming service Apple Music in 2014. She penned an open letter on Tumblr titled “To Apple, Love Taylor.” Taylor asked the tech giant to reconsider its policy when it comes to paying their artists during the free trial period, reports People.

“This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. 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 company heard the singer’s wishes. Senior vice president of internet and software services Eddy Cue tweeted that #AppleMusic will pay its artists for streaming, even during customer’s free trial periods. For now, she refuses to give into Spotify.

Taylor Swift has changed the music landscape. She breaks records and sells albums, even in a music landscape that’s filled with free online streaming. It’ll be interesting to see how Swift will release her next album – and where.

Let us know your thoughts. Do you think Taylor Swift will drop her new album everywhere — including Spotify? Sound off below in the comments section.

[Featured image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DIRECTV]

Share this article: Taylor Swift ‘Working Hard’ On New Album: Will It Drop On Spotify?
More from Inquisitr