Katy Perry debuts new single exclusive to Apple Music & iTunes

Breaking a relatively long musical hiatus, pop singer Katy Perry on Friday released a new single, "Rise," currently available exclusively on Apple Music and iTunes.

The song is being used as an anthem for NBC's coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, although in a statement Perry told Entertainment Weekly that the song had been "brewing" inside her for years. She reportedly decided to finish it instead of holding it for a new album, because "now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite."

It's not clear how long the single will be an exclusive. While most of Apple's recent ones have been temporary, usually lasting no more than a week, there have been exceptions. Most notable are Taylor Swift's album 1989, and Dr. Dre's The Chronic — Dr. Dre is now a high-profile Apple employee.

In fact any deals Apple or Capitol Records may have made are unknown. "Rise" is Perry's first major single in almost two years, potentially making it lucrative for both parties.

Apple has tried to use exclusives to lure listeners away from its main competition in the streaming music space, Spotify. The latter still has twice the number of paid subscribers, and many more people listening to its free ad-supported tier.