I was disappointed to hear that Apple plan to not pay artists and indie labels during the 3-Month trial of Apple Music, so I wrote a little email to Tim Cook.
Dear Mr Cook,
First off, let me start by saying I'm very impressed by your leadership at Apple, actively promoting social and ethical issues over the last few years.
However I feel that the decision to not pay royalties to Artists or Indie labels during the trial period of Apple Music is highly unethical. The trial period is for your service, not for the music. It is just as unethical as asking musicians to play gigs for free, or for that matter asking anyone to work for free for your own commercial gain.
I also feel that the tactics Spotify have used to build their company has unfairly put the majority of the financial burden on the artists rather than the companies owners. However while Spotify didn't have the cash at the time (and probably still don't), Apple certainly does have the cash available to cover the cost of paying Artists and Indie Labels for this 3 month period.
I sincerely hope you choose to do the ethical thing and pay these musicians for the work that they have done.
Best Regards,
Steve Flower
Update - 22/6/15
I'm pleased that, thanks to the growing pressure put on Apple over the last 2 weeks Apple have now agreed to pay Artists during the trial period. It is not yet clear how much - but no doubt that will come out over the next few days.