Taylor Swift is finally returning to Spotify

Three years after Taylor Swift pulled all her music from Spotify, citing the low royalties the service pays out to rights-holders, she’s back. The news was confirmed via Twitter, where the singer’s management confirmed that Swift’s entire back catalogue would be available on streaming services. 

Although the tweet specifies the singer’s music would return to “all streaming services”, Swift’s catalogue has continued to be available on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Tidal, making this an announcement that’s principally aimed at Spotify.

The difference between Spotify and other services is the existence of a free, ad-supported tier. In the past Swift has said, “I just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.”

A shrinking number of absentees

Swift’s return means that the number of big artists missing from the service is shrinking fast. 

Back in February, Prince’s music was finally made available on the service. His return followed moves from other Spotify hold-outs including The Beatles, Metallica, and Led Zepplin. 

Beyonce is probably the biggest artist to have music missing from the service, as her album ‘Lemonade’ is exclusive to Spotify-rival Tidal, which is owned by her husband Jay Z. 

She’s joined by rapper Dr Dre, metal band Tool and Garth Brooks, but if a pop star on the scale of Taylor Swift isn’t able to resist the allure of the service, then you get the feeling they won’t be able to stay off it for long. 

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