Apple signs thousands of indie labels in royalty deal

New York

JUST a few days after Apple changed its policy on royalties after a public complaint by Taylor Swift, the company has signed thousands of independent record companies around the world for its new streaming service, Apple Music.

The Beggars Group, the powerful indie company behind acts including Adele and Vampire Weekend, and Merlin, a trade group that negotiates on behalf of small labels around the world, announced that they had reached a licensing deal with Apple that would pay them royalties even during the new service's three-month trial period.