Taylor Swift, in her infinite mercy, has agreed to do business with Apple Music.
Swift announced on Twitter Thursday that she has agreed to make her latest album, 1989, available on Apple Music.
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The momentous decision comes just days after she publicly shamed Apple for not paying rights holders for songs streamed during a three-month free trial period, which quickly forced the world's largest technology company to reverse its policy.
After the events of this week, I've decided to put 1989 on Apple Music...and happily so.— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 25, 2015
The deal, Swift said in a followup tweet, is not an "exclusive" offering for Apple Music. However, the album is not currently available on other major streaming services like Spotify and Tidal.
In case you're wondering if this is some exclusive deal like you've seen Apple do with other artists, it's not.— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 25, 2015
This is simply the first time it's felt right in my gut to stream my album. Thank you, Apple, for your change of heart.— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 25, 2015
Swift's announcement caps off a very public clash between Apple and the music community over the compensation arrangement for songs streamed during the free trial. It began complaints from indie labels, but escalated after Swift shared a firmly worded post with her tens of millions of followers. That scrutiny threatened to undermine Apple Music ahead of its launch at the end of this month.
Instead, Swift's decision to embrace Apple Music, along with the endorsement of many independent record labels who have already followed her lead, may just prove to be the perfect publicity for Apple as it tries to crack a market filled with well-established competitors like Spotify.
See you on #AppleMusic on June 30th! https://t.co/ajNnMV6TNA— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 25, 2015
"Taylor brought more light to the Apple Music service and Apple will get more people checking it out," Tim Bajarin, a longtime Apple analyst with Creative Strategies, told Mashable in an earlier interview. "In a bizarre way, it was a win-win for both of them."
On Sunday, Swift wrote in a Tumblr post that she found it "shocking" and "disappointing" that Apple would not pay out a single dime to record labels for the free trial period. Within hours, Apple had capitulated to America's sweetheart.
The agreement ensures that Apple wins by gaining access to goodwill in the industry and a hugely popular artist's complete catalogue just in time for the launch of Apple Music. It also guarantees Swift will be viewed as the chief advocate for musicians everywhere.
But don't expect artists to profit too much from the arrangement.