If you're somebody who has plans to stream Taylor Swift's upcoming album Reputation (which will be released this Friday) you're going to have to wait at least a week before you can carry out that plan, according to sources who should know what they're talking about. As stated by Bloomberg, Swift's representatives relayed that news to streaming-music partners. Those partners are still negotiating with Swift's people to determine when Reputation will be made available on their platforms and, though they don't sound optimistic about the possibility, they say these current plans can change at any time.
This decision is not entirely surprising given Swift's past criticisms of streaming. Previously, back when the jury was still out on streaming, she said in a Wall Street Journal column that streaming services devalue music. In November 2014 she yanked her entire catalog from Spotify and also publicly criticized Apple Music in a June 2015 open letter. Since then she's returned to Spotify, over two years later, and also starred in some Apple commercials.
The decision to stay off streaming services would be a super risky move for artists that don't have the clout of Swift (which is just about all of them) as streaming currently makes up almost two-thirds of recording industry revenue in the U.S. Still, the album (Swift's first one in over three years) will go on sale at retails outlets, and will also be available through online stores like iTunes. Get it if you want on November 10.
