It has been noted that Swift’s album is now available on streaming services such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. However it should be pointed out that this only seems to apply to international markets, and not the US. Presumably the US launch shouldn’t be too far behind, but at this time of writing it looks like it isn’t available just yet. We’re not sure why the launch dates are different, so fans will just have to remain patient.
That being said, Swift’s decision to launch the album through more “traditional” means first makes sense, especially in light of Apple Music’s head and music industry veteran Jimmy Iovine’s comments. According to an earlier report, Iovine claims that the profit margins made in music streaming is pretty much non-existent.
This would suggest that releasing music through physical sales or digital purchases is still a better way to go. Swift is also not the first artist to hold off on releasing her music via streaming, where in 2016 Adele fans also had to go through a similar waiting process, where the musician’s 25 album was only made available on streaming about a half year following the album’s release.