The Surprising Reason for Taylor Swift’s New Music

Just four months after her last album, Taylor Swift released new music in April 2021. However, unlike her indie-bent folklore and evermore, this album isn’t really new.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the first of the six albums that the American singer plans to rerecord and release to the world, starting from her debut self-titled album and up to her iconic comeback album reputation. But, why?

Here is a breakdown of one of the most significant moments of pop culture that has played out, and what it means for the music industry.

The Background

Taylor Swift may be the popstar today, but when she started out in the industry, she was just another struggling artist. When she signed on to her label Big Machine, she was given a more or less standard contract, part of which stipulated that all her master recordings will be owned not by Swift, but by her label.

A ‘master’ recording essentially refers to the original record from which all other versions of the song are produced. It is thus an intellectual property, and the one who owns it gets paid for album sales and streaming.

Flash forward to 2018. After her 13 year contract with Big Machine expired, Swift chose to sign with a new label, Republic Records. As a part of her deal, she was given ownership of all masters that she would make with Republic.

Swift also stipulated that any sales of share that Republic had in Spotify would result in equity for all artists under the label. As a result, Taylor’s 2019 album Lover became the first that she had full ownership to.

But in the weeks leading up to the release of Lover, Taylor made public a shocking news for her fans. Her old label Big Machine was being sold by its owner Scott Borchetta – to Scooter Braun. Swift hated the transaction because of her intense dislike for Braun, a talent manager who was associated with both Kanye West and Justin Bieber.

As some would remember, Swift had a very public feud with Kanye in 2016 that resulted in her cancellation, and later, vindication.

Kanye West

For the musician, the sale of Big Machine – and thus the masters of her first 6 albums – was the ultimate betrayal. In a Tumblr post on the day of the announcement of the sale, Swift stated that she had begged for a chance to buy back her work, but had always been told no.

As a last resort, she was given the option to ‘earn’ back her albums by turning in new ones. Swift refused, stating that she knew Big Machine would be sold the minute she signed back, and chose to leave her masters instead.

However, she had never expected her music to be owned by a man who she alleges she has suffered ‘incessant manipulative bullying from.’

The Legal Angle 

Soon after the sale was finalized, Swift went on record multiple times to say that she would rerecord all of her old music to gain ownership of it. She is legally in the clear of the same for several reasons.

Firstly, Swift writes her own music, which means that the intellectual property belongs to her, even if the recording of the songs are not under her control. Secondly, the contractual barrier that prevented her from rerecording her music ended in 2020 for her first five albums (reputation can only be recorded in 2022).

While Swift will have to take the fine line between making sure her music is new enough to not invite copyright claims and yet similar enough to her originals, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) shows that the singer is more than ready for the challenge.

A few months before Fearless (TV), Scooter Braun had sold Taylor’s masters to Shamrock Holdings, but on the condition that ensures Braun continues to benefit financially. Swift again criticized the move, but continued to focus on her rerecordings.

But Why?

Apart from the issue of pride, Taylor Swift has several reasons to make the effort to rerecord her old music. As one of the most successful and popular contemporary artists, her music continues to be in high demand for both streaming and advertisements.

By offering her own versions, Swift plans to move both public and producers away from her original work, and thus prevent Braun from benefitting.

Swift has also been a champion of artist rights from the start. Soon after the release of 1989, she  pulled off all her music from Spotify alleging poor artist payback. Unlike many others, the 10-time Grammy winner had enough power to pull off the move, despite being only four albums old at that time.

It worked, and both Spotify and Apple Music have changed their policies in line with the singer’s vision.

There have been numerous artists, including icons like Prince and The Beatles, who have attempted to take ownership of their work. However, Taylor Swift was the only one to go public with her struggle, trusting that the millions who love her music will also understand and support the business behind it.

The move has paid off, and numerous publications believe that Taylor’s move could be a gamechanger for the artists. And, it’s already showing. Swift’s fan and fellow musician Olivia Rodrigo has already negotiated for control of her masters after watching her idol’s public struggle.

Fan outpouring has been more than enthusiastic for Fearless (TV), but the battle is not yet won. Swift still has aces up her sleeve with both 1989 and Red waiting to be rereleased.

But, while the hardcore fans would lap it all up, Swift might have to dig deeper into her vaults to attract the general public for Speak Now, reputation and her self-titled debut, which weren’t as well known.

No matter where she goes however, the 3-time album of the year Grammy singer is winning, and the lack of legal or public protests by her opponents shows this.