致苹果爱你的泰勒

2015年，美國著名歌手泰勒·斯威夫特给苹果公司写了一封公开信，信中对Apple Music为粉丝提供三个月的免费试听服务却并不打算为创作者付费的行为进行了抗议。在泰勒的影响下，苹果公司承诺会给创作者支付试听期的报酬。在音乐付费的道路上，苹果原本就已走在前面，而在泰勒的敦促下，苹果将这件事做得更加完美，堪称行业典范。我们就来看看泰勒是如何保护音乐人的权益的。

I write this to explain why I&apos；ll be holding back my album， 1989， from the new streaming service， Apple Music. I feel this deserves an explanation because Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans. I respect the company and the truly ingenious1） minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries2）.

I&apos；m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I&apos；m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers， producers， or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking， disappointing， and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.

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 cut3） and thought that the royalties4） 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&apos；s worth of plays on his or her songs.

These are not the complaints of a spoiled， petulant5） child. These are the echoed sentiments6） of every artist， writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.

I realize that Apple is working towards a goal of paid streaming. I think that is beautiful progress. We know how astronomically7） successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists， writers and producers for the 3 month trial period ... even if it is free for the fans trying it out.

Three months is a long time to go unpaid， and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love， reverence8）， and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right.

But I say to Apple with all due respect9）， it&apos；s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don&apos；t ask you for free iPhones. Please don&apos；t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.

我写这封信，是要解释我为何要把我的专辑《1989》从新的流媒体服务器Apple Music上撤下来。我觉得这件事有必要解释一下，因为苹果从过去，到现在，再到将来，都一直是我最棒的合作伙伴之一，帮我销售音乐，为我创造种种与粉丝建立联系的方式。我尊重蘋果公司，尊重那些真正聪明的人，他们通过变革创新、拓展正确的业务边界，为后世创造了一份财富。

我确信，你们都知道Apple Music将会为所有订阅用户提供三个月的免费试听服务。但我不敢肯定，你们是否知道Apple Music在这三个月里将不会为创作者、制作人或艺人支付任何报酬。在我看来，这真是令人震惊、失望，完全不像是这家一向先进且慷慨的公司所为。

这并非关乎我自己。谢天谢地，我正在出我的第五张专辑，而且能够通过开现场演唱会养活我自己、我的乐队、团队成员以及整个管理团队。这关乎那个新出道的艺人或乐队，他们才刚刚发行自己的第一首单曲，却不会因单曲的成功获得报酬。这关乎那个年轻的歌曲创作者，他/她刚刚出了自己的第一首音乐，还以为它的版税能让自己还清债务。这关乎那位制作人，他/她不知疲倦地工作，去创新和创作，就像苹果公司那些创新者和创造者在自己的领域里探索开拓一样，可他们却有一个季度无法因自己创作的歌曲获得报酬。

以上这些并非一个被宠坏了的、任性妄为的孩子所说的抱怨之词，而是我社交圈里每一位艺人、创作者和制作人共同的心声，他们不敢公然发声抗议，因为我们大家是如此敬重苹果公司。我们只是对这一政策不敢苟同。

我意识到，苹果公司是在向付费音乐的目标努力。我想这是一个美好的进步。我们知道苹果至今已获得了无比巨大的成功，也知道这一不可思议的公司有资本为艺人、创作者和制作人支付三个月试听期内的酬劳，即便粉丝试听是免费的。

三个月得不到报酬，时间太长了。而且要求任何一个人不求回报地工作都是不公平的。我这样说的时候，心中对苹果公司所做的一切其他事情都满怀爱意、敬重和钦佩。我希望不久之后我可以参与进来，一起促进建立一个对那些音乐创作者看上去也公平的流媒体运行模式。我想，这个模式可能就是把事情做对的平台。

但苹果公司，请恕我直言，改变这一政策，改变音乐界那些将深受此事影响的人的想法还不算太晚。我们并没有要求免费使用iPhone手机，请别要求我们免费提供自己的音乐。