By: Lindsay Martin | Staff Writer
Well, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals, the time has finally come: Taylor Swift can now rerecord her old music.
If you haven’t heard, Swift, at the age of 15, signed a record contract with Nashville’s Big Machine Label Group, owned by Scott Borchetta. This contract, according to Rolling Stone, entitled the company to the ownership of her master recordings, “her albums’ revenue streams and control of how the music was used.” Swift’s contract with Big Machine ended in late 2018, and, upon learning that Borchetta was planning to sell the label, she signed with Republic Records under Universal Music Group, knowingly leaving her master recordings behind.
What she didn’t know, however, was that Borchetta was planning to sell his label to Scooter Braun, who manages artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Braun now owns Swift’s entire music catalogue from 2006 to 2017—and she has publicly expressed how “sad and grossed out” she felt upon learning this, as she says Braun has constantly “bullied” her throughout her years in the spotlight.
Back when Swift was a little fifteen-year-old Pennsylvania native following a dream, Borchetta was the only one who would give her a chance. Swift states that Borchetta knew about her dislike of Braun and that now she feels incredibly betrayed by his decision. Swift also says that she learned of the purchase along with the rest of the world; she was not informed prior to the deal’s closing.
To make matters worse, just last week it was revealed that Braun had resold Swift’s master recordings to Shamrock Holdings for an alleged $300 million—more than double the amount he acquired upon purchasing Big Machine.
Swift took to Twitter to explain that her team has been actively trying to enter a negotiation with Braun, and they made one thing clear: her master recordings were not for sale to her. Swift also wrote that Shamrock had reached out to her to let her know that they had bought Swift’s entire music, video, and album art catalogue—and that, despite this purchase, Braun would continue to profit off of her music.
However, according to her original contract, Swift can legally rerecord her masters starting this November; as she is unable to own her songs, she’ll just have to copy them. This is tricky, though, as Swift’s master recordings are so well-known—and every time one of them is streamed, Braun will profit off of it. The goal in rerecording her songs is to undercut Braun’s investments by lowering the value of her old recordings. Republic Records will undoubtedly need to aggressively market these new recordings—but I suppose that won’t be much of an issue for Swift’s die-hard fans, who have already vowed on social media to delete all of her old recordings from their streaming devices and only listen to the new recordings once released.
Swifties are, to put simply, beyond ecstatic.
In her Twitter statement, Swift also wrote that she has begun the rerecording process and that “it has already proven to be both exciting and creatively fulfilling.” She also says that she has “plenty of surprises in store.”
Swifties are, to put simply, beyond ecstatic.
What might these surprises be? With Swift, a creative genius, it’s nearly impossible to tell. However, I have compiled a list of predictions for these new recordings, as well as a trip down memory lane into some of Swift’s best old-school music.
Predictions
Swift will begin to release the new recordings late next year. Each of her albums have been released between the months of July and November, with the majority in October and November. She is notorious for releasing a first single months before the album’s release as well as series of Easter eggs. However, she only owns two of her albums, Lover and folklore, both of which were released in August and July, respectively. Perhaps she may go a similar route with these new recordings and begin releasing future albums earlier in the year. Swift is a perfectionist, though, so I think one thing is for sure: we’re not going to be hearing any of these recordings anytime soon.
Swift will release albums together, rather than one-by-one. The sooner Swift can release these new recordings, the sooner the downfall of Braun. My guess is she will release Taylor Swift and Fearless together, and then some time later she will release Speak Now and Red together, and so on.
These new recordings won’t just be a replicate of the old recordings. Let’s face it, Swift began professionally recording albums when she was 15 years old, and, since then, she has dabbled in country, pop, rock, and even alternative. Her voice has evolved immensely, and she is no longer the same girl who sang “Tim McGraw” and “Love Story.” However, for The 1989 World Tour, she reimagined some of her older country songs to fit her new pop style. In fact, she is constantly reimagining all of her songs for tours—such as a pop version of Red’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and a different bridge for 1989’s “Clean”—so my guess is she will apply these thought processes to the rest of her songs for the new recordings.
The new recordings may still have a country flare. On the other hand, in the recent years she has dipped her toes back into her country roots, such as when she performed an acoustic version of Lover’s “The Man” in a Paris concert and folklore’s “betty” at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards. She has even written a song for country group Little Big Town and joined Sugarland on a track. Honestly, Swift is so remarkably unpredictable that we can never seem to know what gears are turning in her heard. But she’ll blow us all away regardless.
“Long Live” will be extra special. Swift originally wrote this song for her fans while on the Fearless Tour. Swift consistently expresses her gratitude for her fans, who have “always been there for” her, supporting her through her public feuds with Kanye West, Katy Perry, and now Scooter Braun but especially through her music. Prior to the 2019 release of Lover, she said that she had so much fun creating Easter eggs, and she loves that her fans have an equal amount of fun trying to solve them. After everything her and her fandom have been through, the new recording of “Long Live” is sure to be even more magical than its original.
And, finally, the ten-minute version of “All Too Well.” After Red’s release back in 2012, Swift had mentioned that the five-minute ballad was originally ten minutes before she cut it down. Just recently, she spoke with Rolling Stone for its “500 Greatest Albums” podcast and revealed that the ten-minute version actually contained “the f word.” Swifties have been (im)patiently waiting for this ten-minute version for eight years now, and Swift is meticulous in all that she says and does; this mention can not just be a coincidence.
The Best Old-School Taylor Swift Songs from Each Album
“Should’ve Said No” (Taylor Swift) – This song is everything a song should be. You can feel her betrayal and spite, particularly when the chorus hits. The lyrics quite honestly hold some new meaning, given Swift’s current circumstances.
“Love Story” (Fearless) – I have to go with the classic. The original version is great, but Swift’s pop reimagining for The 1989 World Tour, where she stood on a platform in the air with a keyboard, makes it even more spectacular. Plus, it’s a twist on a story we all know probably a little too well.
“Long Live” (Speak Now) – It’s just such a heartfelt, magical song, and you almost get emotional while listening to it. Can we please talk about that one lyric, “I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you”? Ugh, the tears. I cannot wait to see what kind of spin Swift takes on its new recording.
“All Too Well” (Red) – Quite possibly Swift’s best old-school song. It’s one of her only ballads, and the heart-wrenching emotion is packed so tightly into each and every lyric. The bridge kills me every time. Not to mention Swift’s jaw-dropping piano performance on The Red Tour, several times of which she actually started crying on-stage.
“How You Get the Girl” (1989) – It’s so much fun; it makes you want to sing at the top of your lungs and jump and dance around. Honestly. Just thinking about it made me put it on, and I couldn’t help but sing along—though it’s a fair point that nearly every song on this album calls for a dance party.
“Getaway Car” (reputation) – Yes, I said it. Quite frankly every song could be listed here as “the best” from this album, but there is just something about this one in particular that consistently makes me replay it over and over again. The story is so thrilling, and the key change into the bridge gets me every time.
“Christmas Must Be Something More” (The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection) – I couldn’t compile a list of Swift’s best songs without a mention of her oftentimes forgotten Christmas album, could I? This song is about focusing less on the material, “superficial” things associated with Christmas—ribbons, presents, boxes, wreathes—and focusing more on the birth of Christ, “the birthday boy who saved our lives.” Whether you believe in Christ or not, the tune is catchy, and it makes you stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas, as they say. It is unclear whether Swift is planning to re-record her holiday album, but it would certainly be a nice treat to get an extended version!
Needless to say, I am beyond excited for Swift. She was my entire childhood, as she was to millions of others in my generation, and the idea of her not being able to own her music catalogue, into which she poured her heart and soul, is heartbreaking. I must admit that, while I love Lover and folklore, I do prefer her old-school music, and I cannot wait to see everything she has in store for these new recordings.
She was my entire childhood, as she was to millions of others in my generation, and the idea of her not being able to own her music catalogue, into which she poured her heart and soul, is heartbreaking.
Images:
Taylor Swift – 05 – Live in Paris – 2011: “Taylor Swift 05 – Live in Paris – 2011” by oouinouin is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Taylor Swift – Reputation Tour: “Taylor Swift – Reputation Tour” by rwoan is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Taylor Swift – Reputation Tour 2: “Taylor Swift – Reputation Tour” by rwoan is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Taylor Swift RED Tour: “Taylor Swift RED Tour” by janabeamerpr is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Taylor Swift 104: “Taylor Swift 104” by GabboT is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Taylor Swift: “Taylor Swift” by jennnnnyf is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
