A look into why Taylor Swift is re-recording her music.
By: Paloma 11.3
Taylor Swift is an American singer/songwriter, born on the 13th of December 1989. From an early age, Swift was able to compose and perform songs in front of crowds, signing a 13-year record deal with Big Machine Records at only 13 years old. This would eventually propel her to be one of the most celebrated and award-winning artists of all time, with three Grammy wins in the album of the year category. However, her journey to all the praise was not easy.
“I had a marvelous time ruining everything” – The Last Great American Dynasty, Taylor Swift
Many people have been wondering why Taylor Swift is re-releasing her old albums and calling them (Taylor's Version), and it's all because of Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun. Scott Borchetta is the CEO of Big Machine Records (BMR) which was founded on the 1st of September 2005. He previously worked for Dreamworks Records but left as he didn't like the system in which record labels operated. Borchetta first met Swift in an industry showcase in Nashville in 2005. Promptly after that, he proposed a contract to her. However, in this contract, Swift would get an upfront payment, as long as they owned the rights and masters to her first six albums. Meaning that BMR owned all of her music, making up 80% of their income as a record label. Scooter Braun, on the other hand, is a record executive and manager who built himself a multimillion-dollar media empire. In 2019, he acquired Big Machine Records from Borchetta for 300 million dollars, meaning that he now owned all of Swift's songs.
"Seeing your name just spells out pain" – Closure, Taylor Swift
In 2018, when Swift's contract with BMR ended, she decided to give them up and sign with Republic Records. Borchetta relentlessly tried to make her stay; however, that did not convince Swift. He told her that if she stayed, she could earn back the rights to an old album for every new one she released. Once again, Swift refused his proposal, and posted a statement on her Tumblr account claiming ‘I made the excruciating choice to leave behind my past’ and clarified that she found out about Scooter Braun’s purchase of her masters as it was announced to the world. A little while after she posted her declaration, Borchetta wrote one back saying that Swift was lying about everything and prevented her from performing her old songs for the American Music Awards in 2019 and from using her songs in her Netflix documentary ‘Miss Americana’. In response, her team and an auditor told Big Machine that they owed her 7.9 million dollars for unpaid royalties. It was a lot of back and forth until Scooter Braun sold her masters to an investment fund called Shamrock Holdings for 300 million dollars, again without telling her. The deal also mentioned that he could keep profiting from her music for many more years. He refused to give Swift her masters back unless she signed a very tight NDA that would prevent her from ever saying negative things about him. In addition, the company that acquired Swift’s masters from Scooter admitted that they tried and wanted to inform her that he was selling them again, but he instructed them to say nothing and have zero contact with her.
"What did you think I’d say to that, does a scorpion sting when fighting back?" – Mad Woman, Taylor Swift
Fast forward to the present day: Taylor Swift is signed to Republic Records, and has released her 2nd re-recording of one of her un-owned albums, Red (Taylor’s Version). It has made chart-topping records and received 5-star reviews from highly respected publications, proving once again that her music is timeless. Yet not only does she get to own her music, but we get to relive months and years of our childhood, creating new memories. However, this is only the beginning. There are still four albums that have yet to be re-recorded: Taylor Swift, Speak Now, 1989 and Reputation.
"I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em" – Endgame, Taylor Swift
Nevertheless, this all links to the bigger picture. The feud further shows the cracks lying in the music industry. Should artists have control over their music? Are artists treated well? That’s a conversation for next time.
Comments