Steward 1

Winter Steward

Jodi Naas

WR 122 Rhetorical Analysis

11 July 2021

To Apple, With Purpose

Taylor Swift is an internationally recognized pop superstar. The 31-year-old singer-

songwriter has led a spectacular career spanning almost 20 years. Taylor Swift currently has a

net worth of $550 million, owns two private jet planes, and owns multiple properties valued at

$85 million (Forbes). She has a dedicated fan base, multiple Grammy awards, and is known as

one of America’s sweethearts. In June 2015, she posted a poignant letter aimed at Apple,

consumers, and fellow artists ahead of the release of Apple’s music streaming service. The letter

was posted on her personal Tumblr blog and explained why she was choosing to withhold her

newest album from the service. Apple was offering a 3-month free trial to new customers. Swift

revealed Apple’s plan to not financially compensate musicians for their music during the trial.

Her letter prodded Apple to reconsider their decision, ultimately resulting in a reversal of the

policy in less than twenty-four hours.

Taylor Swift fought a similar battle with Spotify in July 2014. She published an op-ed in

the Wall Street Journal explaining her decision to remove her music from the platform because

she believed Spotify did not compensate artists fairly. At the time, Swift had the number one

single on Spotify and her songs were featured on 19 million playlists (Pallotta). Spotify CEO

Daniel Ek responded in a blog post by arguing that top artists like Swift were making over 6

million dollars a year (Pallotta). Spotify did not offer further compensation and Swift moved all

but one of her songs off the service. Apple would have been aware of this exchange between
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Swift and Spotify. Streaming services for music were relatively new and Apple had the

opportunity to monopolize Swift’s music catalog. In contrast, losing the chance to work with

Taylor Swift could potentially cost them customers.

In 2015, Tumblr was one of the most popular social media platforms for teenagers, with

4.5 million users under 25 (Ellis-Peterson). Tumblr posts were frequently republished on

Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter, extending the audience reach to millions more people. Tumblr

users can repost anything they find on another’s blog to their own blog. Taylor’s choice to

release her letter on her blog versus a private email exemplifies how much she wanted others to

be aware of Apple’s practices. Only people in the music industry at the time were aware of

Apple’s policy for the 3-month trial. Swift said she was speaking for a multitude of smaller

creatives in the music industry worried about ruffling Apple’s feathers. Is this was true, she

would have sent her letter in a different way. Her decision to point out Apple’s practices to the

consumer was a calculated attack on Apple and a call to action.

One could argue Taylor Swift is not hurting for money. In her letter, she is quick to dispel

any thoughts of selfishness on her end. Swift acknowledges she can support herself through other

means. The language experiences a shift from “I” to “we”, as she explains the troubles of less

popular musicians in the industry. She uses the phrase, “this is about...” to continually deflect

attention off herself. The focus is placed on new artists struggling to pay bills as they try to

circumnavigate the music industry. Swift was able to draw individual artists into a show of force

to face Apple’s audacious policy of nonpayment. Swift constructed a narrative with word choices

that exemplified respect for both Apple and musicians as a whole. She reflected on the creativity

shown by creative minds in the music industry and at Apple. Apple strives to be recognized for

its creativity as a company and by the people who work for them. The career page for Apple
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states, “This is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead

to great work. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something.” (Apple)

Taylor Swift used her knowledge of Apple’s public image to elevate artists to the same level of

prestige. By highlighting the similarities between the two, she was able to present them as a

tandem team instead of enemies.

Taylor Swift’s purpose in writing her blog post was to challenge the way massive

companies believe they can treat innovative artists in the music industry. She identified Apple as

a pioneering company and illustrated how they strive to push boundaries as they head for

success. Swift wrote her letter in a way that didn’t leave Apple any room for a counterattack of

their own. None of her words had a passive aggressive tone. After this brief display of praise, she

begins lambasting Apple for seemingly going against their own values of respect. She took care

to highlight how Apple has more than enough money to compensate artists for their content,

even if consumers get a free trial. In doing so, she demonizes Apple’s actions and alerts the

consumer to what most would consider shady business practices. By avoiding sarcasm or heavy

action words, she made it difficult for Apple to come up with a critical response to her points.

Apple cares a lot about the self-image of their company. Any form of bad publicity is dealt with

as quietly as possible. Playing on both the consumer and Apple’s sense of ethics, Swift was able

to draw attention to a potential blemish on Apple’s record. She used a platform that reached

millions of Apple’s customers instantly. Apple never had a chance to address the issue privately.

Swift refuses to disparage the company or scold them openly. Swift hints throughout the

letter about how Apple has and will continue to be one of her business partners. She approaches

the close of her critique by facilitating a way for Apple to dig itself out of the hole she dug for

them. Swift indicates her eagerness and hope that she can accompany the journey of progression
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hand in hand with Apple. Instead of isolating the company, she continues to preach a message of

togetherness and progress. She says, “I think this could be the platform that gets it right,” (Swift).

Apple probably realized if they refused, they would look bad for ignoring a respectful call to

action. The swiftness of Apple’s response indicates how quickly they wanted the problem to

disappear. Swift was smart to address her problem in a way that couldn’t be ignored. She wisely

chose to extend an olive branch instead of an angry rant. Taylor Swift would have come out of

this situation looking good no matter how Apple decided to respond. By maintaining a sense of

calm, she was able to direct the conversation to her benefit. Her aim for unity instead of

divisiveness brought Apple into a state where friendly reconciliation was allowed and

encouraged without fear for retribution from consumers.

Taylor Swift gave the business industry a shining example of how to carry out effective

interpersonal communication that gets results. Had her letter been condescending towards Apple

or argumentative, the results might have unfolded differently. In her op-ed piece directed

towards Spotify, Swift’s language choices were more pointed and harsh. She chose to learn from

that experience and adapt her method to apply to future conversations. She took special care this

time around to tailor her language to be welcoming for all parties. By leveling the playing field,

Taylor was able to influence one of the biggest companies in the world in less than a day. She

utilized her platform in an exceptional manner and clarified the old adage that respect begets

respect. Swift may be America’s sweetheart, but she has illustrated her ability to be a cutthroat

business woman in order to get what she wants.

Works Cited
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“Careers At Apple.” Apple, www.apple.com/careers/us. Accessed 10 Aug. 2021.

Ellis-Petersen, Hannah. “Taylor Swift Takes a Stand over Spotify Music Royalties | Taylor Swift

| The Guardian.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 5 Nov. 2014,

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/04/taylor-swift-spotify-streaming-album-

sales-snub.

Pallotta, Frank. “Spotify Responds to Taylor Swift: We Are Not the Enemy.” CNNMoney, CNN,

11 Nov. 2014, https://money.cnn.com/2014/11/11/media/spotify-responds-to-taylor-

swift/.

Swift, Taylor. “For Taylor Swift, the Future of Music Is a Love Story - WSJ.” WSJ, The Wall

Street Journal, 7 July 2014, https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-taylor-swift-the-future-of-

music-is-a-love-story-1404763219.

---. “To Apple, With Love.” Tumblr, 2015.

“Taylor Swift.” Forbes, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/profile/taylor-swift/?

sh=41fbf84f18e2.