There are a number of reasons why Taylor Swift would decide to return her music to streaming services, with seemingly little introduction, on an initially random-seeming Thursday night (although judging by the swift PR done by certain services, the move has been in the works for awhile).
There’s the fact that Spotify, the market leader in the U.S., has finally agreed to window certain releases from its free tier, which was a major reason why Swift removed her music from the service. There’s also the fact that, according to reports, Swift has been at work on a new album for some months, and judging by her usual release cycle — a summer single followed by an album in November — it was be just about time for things to begin rolling. Returning to streaming services would be a good initial salvo to prime the market for her return.
But speaking of unexpected returns, last month Katy Perry unexpectedly reignited their long-dormant feud as as the June 9 release of her own new album, “Witness,” approached. The former friends parted company, apparently, after Perry reached out to some of Swift’s dancers in 2012 to see if they would work with her. (We’re not going to recast the blow-by-blow, anyone interested can knock themselves out here.) On May 22 Perry told James Corden: “That’s true, there is a situation. Honestly, it’s really like she started it and it’s time for her to finish it.
“I’m not Buddha – things irritate me,” she continued about the perceived slights. “I wish that I could turn the other cheek every single time, but I’m also not a pushover, you know? Especially when someone tries to assassinate my character with little girls. That’s so messed up!”
So is it a coincidence that Swift made this move on the eve of Perry’s album release? You be the judge … or not.
