Music is more than an invigorating fusion of rhythm, tempo, and harmonized vibrations; it is an artistically layered expression of emotion and perseverance, especially to the greatly admired performer, Taylor Swift. The undaunted singer and songwriter is determined to maintain the value in the music she passionately creates, which is one of the reasons why Swift saved her latest album, 1989, from being freely poured from Spotify, the free, legal music streaming service.

Spotify gives the world free access to millions of albums, and Swift ultimately feels that the value of her work is being completely drained– not only the profit but also the surge of dedication and passion put in.

Sophomore Victoria Spinoso, a supporter of Swift’s stance, exclaims, “I think Taylor did the right thing by taking her music off Spotify. Personally, I would rather have a CD or Vinyl. Also, it’s not right that she worked so hard and isn’t getting paid for it. She wrote everything on her album and she should get something for it.”

The successful sales of Swift’s recent album release proved that her sudden pull from Spotify was definitely beneficial for the purposeful singer-songwriter. However, Swift had more concern in honoring her collaborative music-making team than enjoying the fortunes she acquired. She genuinely desired to ensure that every recorder, producer, and musician that helped turn her rhymes into rhythm would be acclaimed for their perseverance and endless passion, which is why forbidding her music to be shuffled through Spotify, the free music streamer, was crucial.

Yet, freshman Francesca Marchiano, a frequent music streamer as well as Taylor Swift enthusiast, states, “I use Spotify daily, Spotify being the only place where I listen to music. It’s kind of disappointing to not be able to sing along to one of Swift’s songs on it though.”

Like Marchiano, many other “Swifties” are disheartened at the fact that they will no longer be able to have free 1989 jam sessions. Plus, according to Rolling Stone Magazine, Spotify claims to Swift that as more and more of its forty million viewers grow dissatisfied with the increasing ads that break up their enjoyed playlists, most would likely resort to upgrading to the premium subscription– which is ad-free but not cost-free– so Swift would soon gain back lost earnings. Also, the free music service recognizes the artist royalties for each stream which range from $0.006 to $0.0084, though that would not fulfill the amount that Swift would have acquired from a sold album. But the concerned singer-songwriter is still mainly focused on preserving the artistic value of her words and sound.

The young star wants to thrive, not just survive, in the music business that she loves, which is why she had to reveal to Spotify the power she possesses.