I was really looking forward to Taylor Swift’s new album. I’ve been racing through her back catalogue in preparation, and was captivated by the four songs that were released ahead of launch day. Mr C, previously the biggest TayTay fan in this household, hasn’t been convinced by the new stuff but I’m all in.

Except, I’m not all in because I can’t listen to the album yet. Reputation has been kept off streaming services for at least a week, in a well-planned and manipulative launch schedule.

Now, I know that some artists don’t like the concept of streaming and I can understand that it’s not the perfect solution to earning a living from making music. But it’s the way music listening is going and you have to, at some point, go with it.

Taylor, previously, has rallied for higher pay for artists from streaming services. She won the battle with Apple on that front, after publishing an open letter to them to say artists should be paid for their work even if the subscription service is giving away three months free to new users. Apple agreed, adjusted their terms and conditions, and it seemed like she had fought a battle that really meant a lot to her.

And it seemed like all was lovely between the singer and the streaming service since then. Taylor has even featured in some adverts for Apple Music.

But now, no album.

It’s an artist’s absolute choice what they do with their music, but all I can say is that I hope it’s achieving what she wants because it just makes me dismiss it in favour of other, more accessible, works.