Taylor Swift Keeps 1989 Off Apple Music

Taylor Swift has refused to put her hit album 1989 on Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) 's new music streaming service - saying "it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing".

The pop star joined independent labels in criticising the US firm's plans not to pay royalties during a three-month free trial period for the service.

The 25-year-old said it would hurt young artists trying to break into the music industry, and called the decision "shocking" and "disappointing".

"We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation," she wrote in a blog post entitled To Apple, Love Taylor on tumblr.

"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.

"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’s worth of plays on his or her songs."

Swift added: "These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child.

"These are the echoed sentiments 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."

Apple Music plans to offer subscribers a large catalogue of songs for a subscription fee of $10 a month, when its streaming service launches at the end of the month.

However, Swift said it was not too late for Apple to "change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this".

Representatives for Apple did not respond to requests for comment.

Swift pulled her entire music catalogue from Spotify last November, saying music streaming had "shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically."

The move, while risky, paid off for the singer as 1989 became the biggest debut of 2014, selling more than 4.9 million albums in the US.