How Taylor Swift Outsmarted Her Record Label
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- In this episode we discuss how Taylor Swift is owning the music industry and beating the system through her album re-records.
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She has also helped all of us guitar teachers - I can’t tell you over the years how many times a 10-12 year old girl has signed up for lessons- what do you want to learn? Taylor Swift
Indeed! I've lost track of how many times students have asked me to learn Taylor's songs. I've always found cool and interesting things in her arrangements, and even little subtle things in her live acoustic performances that elevate the song.
That's brutally relevant.
That is so cool!!!
And in so doing helped the entire field of music. Anything that gets greater participation in and contribution to the arts from any sector benefits all humanity ❤️
Don't underestimate how many brilliant female (and dare I say some male) musicians will emerge having grown up loving Swift and being influenced by her music. She was a mentor on American idol and some brilliant contestants were clearly huge fans.
I'm married to a full on swiftie, so i've been told the entire story many times, and there are parts that Rick left out. Taylor begged Scott Borchetta to NOT sell her catalog to scooter braun, since she personally despised the guy. She asked for the ability to negotiate and try to buy her music, but was not given the opportunity. Everything was sold. Scooter then decided to sell her catalog to the investment group (which i believe is actually part of a hedge fund....not even someone involved in the music business). She was willing to work with them, provided Scooter Braun was not at all involved in owning her music going forward. The contract clearly stated that braun would still financially benefit from the deal going forward, so she decided to move forward with her plans to re-record. As Rick alluded to, the new songs sound better, and no TS fan will listen to the old versions in any format that pays the "owner" of those versions of her songs. I'm not a professional musician, but I have always believed that the creator of the music should own it and be able to do with it as they please.....Taylor just showed the world that this CAN be done....on a very large scale!
@@lyricst Ummm? So ... what is true then? Just curious. :)
@@lyricst He speaks the truth, although Scott offered Taylor the rights to her music for every new album she recorded she could get one old album back. Scott got greedy, she made him, and in her folklore album she alluded to it in "my tears ricochet" she sang about her stolen lullabies, and the jewels she gave him was her "Fearless" album going Platinum and Diamond.
@@lyricst no….. it IS true…..
@@lyricst Explain then.
Alex1987 he’s just another troll
Taylor is cut from the same cloth as Dolly Parton. A woman who was not at first taken very seriously because of her image, but was in fact brilliant at both marketing herself AND managing the business end of her music career. Both are deeply talented not just as performers but also as composers and musicians. And Dolly knew even way back then the importance of keeping control of her product. And both understood the power of a woman who is at first not taken seriously.
Always think of her when she said at school she would run to the bathroom and hum the tune & write it down. She is indeed a natural. One that truly is a gem
I was that person. I was annoyed with her because that’s all I heard and thought she was just another teen artist. Then I heard Shake it Off and this incident happened and totally changed my view of her. Her Eras Tour is one for the history books. I’m a Swiftie now.
There had to be some conversations with Dolly. Dolly takes care of people.
I'm not even a Taylor fan. But credit where credit is due, you gotta admire her for what she has achieved
Taylor is good, but she’s not of the same calibre.
Swift has benefited HUGELY from being the best of an otherwise very, very mediocre era, much like Ed Sheeran has. There are more talented people around them now, but especially in the 2010s it was pretty damn easy to be the best in a musical landscape where a song about never (ever) getting back together with someone could be a massive hit. That song isn’t even remarkable…it’s just good in a bland way.
Add to all this homogeneity of modern pop music and the comparison isn’t even a contest. Dolly Parton had to VERY good in a musical landscape that was full of talent like her. Ffs even Elvis wanted to sing one of her songs, and she said no.
People need to stop getting so damn excited about someone that would not have been considered some kind of ‘’musical genius’’ (yeah right) even in the 90s, when music was generally considered to already be on the slide overall.
Also, musical geniuses don’t write 20+ songs all using the Axis chord progression. She can write good songs over chord progressions, that’s what she’s good at.
Taylor signed up with the Big Machine Label when she was 15. IMO I think that she was taken advantage of because of her age and inexperience. She has grown tremendously since then, not only as a Singer-Songwriter but as a person and as a Business Woman.
On her latest "Eras Tour", she has shown tramendous generocity with both her money and her time. She has given vast sums to various charities and visits sick children in hospitals.
Taylor Swift is an all round wonderful person and is fully deserving of her success. Go Girl, Live Forever!
Dr-J 😄
I am not sure she was taken advantage of. Scott Borchetta started the Big Machine company from scratch around her, and I am sure she and her dad (a stock broker) had plenty of understanding of the legal agreements. The deal let Taylor record her OWN songs and maintain intellectual copyright of the songs (but not the recordings), whereas other deals she was offered (that she turned down) wanted her to sing songs written by others. Can you imagine that? Taylor's greatest strength is her songwriting. Anyway, the arrangement was perfectly harmonious for years - it was only when Scott sold the recording rights to someone she didn't like that things went sour.
Having said all that, I think the re-recordings are fantastic and a big improvement over the originals (except for 1989) as her voice has improved so much. So it's a win for the fans and for her.
@@zx7-rr486good point. Most new singers don’t have any control over what music they produce. But artists not having ownership rights of their masters has always been the industry standard. So TS is a trailblazer
@@zx7-rr486being a stockbroker is not the same as being skilled in the ways of the entertainment industry. There are hidden clauses, pitfalls etc. Again, she was 15. Adults get taken advantage of and she was 15. Her parents were naive and unskilled in this industry and knowledge of future benefits or pitfalls that could potentially arise.
@@SL-lz9jr I am not sure because most new artists won't have the money to pay for recording and promoting a record, like Swift now does because she is super rich. This is exactly why record labels insist on owning the recordings because they essentially pay for them. I don't know how this will change.. unless the artists raises their own capital to invest in the recording costs, why would record companies chnage their modus operandi?
@@nftutoring9241It is NOT true that Swift was taken advantage of, sorry. I meant that because her dad was a stockbroker he WAS not naive to business and money and is obviously very money smart, so the idea he would not hire good music contract lawyers (in Nashville which has 100s of music lawyers!) to protect his daughter is ridiculous.
The Big Machine label was started around Taylor, so everybody was taking a chance, including Scott. I am quite sure the deal thrahed out was completely understood and agreed to by all. There were no complaints about it being exploitative, even though it followed the standard practice that the label owns the recordings. Taylor kept the publishing rights to her own songs as a songwriter. A truly exploitative contract would have forced her to give up that as well. The contract also allowed Taylor to sing her own songs, whereas another contract she was offered by an established label didn't.
Her re-recording is one thing, but the fact that when she signed with UMG and as a part of her contracted made them promise to give a portion of sales of Spotify shares to artists - and it won't count towards their advances - is really impressive. She was completely unselfishly looking out for the smaller artists that are locked into up-front money and she's helping them when she didn't have to...love her or hate her you can't deny that was an awesome move.
Wow
What’s not to love? (Don’t worry, I know there are plenty of haters)
Impressive!
I'm not a fan of her music but Taylor is a rad lady in my book.
More power to her to have thought of this strategy to regain control on her intellectual property.
I don’t understand all of the hate around Taylor Swift. She is a genius.
I actually like Taylor Swift, but many other artists have done this. Prince for example.
Because money gave her the opportunity. Singers are a dime a dozen quite honestly that don’t get lucky breaks. But more power to her
Hater's gonna hate hate hate... ;)
Because her music is straight dog water? She's definitely smart and successful, but I haven't heard a thing from her that actually sounds provocative or "good".
she's the least of the ones deserving dismissal..i think she's got talent..and all this about her opportunity being handed her may be true but not one of her critics would have turned up those opportunities so therefore this just comes down to petty jealousy.
The 10 minute version of All Too Well was the original version she first wrote in 2011/2012. The label made her cut the length so it would fit on the album, leading to the 5 minute something one we got on the original Red album. But she teased in interviews not long after that there was a 10 minute version of the song. So for nearly 10 years we were begging her to release it. This whole situation with the rerecords finally lets us hear the song how it was meant to be performed and I'm so happy we have it now
it actually worked out for the best, cos ATW 10M tv is, of course, the best TS song of all time, and we got it due to this horrid situation.
Do you actually believe that she didn’t exaggerate? And that she wrote those lyrics more recent than you think?
Any good unused tracks were reworked into other tracks for other albums. Most of the “vault tracks” are freshly conceived recordings
@@terrellskrine6426I believe Taylor. She has no reason to lie, and it has no impact on how successful this newly-recorded version of ATW is doing.
Ironically having a fifteen year old daughter who’s a full on Swifty I’ve really come to appreciate what a talent she is. I just love seeing my daughter have such a strong connection to an artist and her work as such a music head myself .
I think it is really great to have an artist like Swift who so obviously loves making music and releases so much content about her songwriting process. It gives her younger fans such a great look at how they could develop their own musical talents.
She also stood up to Apple when they told artists they weren't going to pay royalties when they started streaming and she is the only one that had the clout to do so. And she held out so everyone got paid not just herself.
I thought that was Spotify
@@01bigtrev Both. Spotify got Taylor on their platform like 2 years later. That’s how long she held out for it.
@@lastsundaydrive do not forget. It was Spotify to beg Taylor to put out he songs on their platform back. They did the right thing. Coz, She is the music industry!
@@mikekl520 Def. She lost out 3 years worth of stream and even though she’s been consistently the most listened to artists these few months she can’t be no.1 most listened in the world because of the 3year gap.
@@lastsundaydrive She will catch up soon. Lets see by the end of next year.
This was a huge win not only for her but for musicians and artists everywhere. The people who create the art should be in charge of it, period.
I hear what you're saying and agree. Fine. Don't accept penny one from any label, etc. in the creation and distribution of your music. Problem is that people seem to have talent but no way to get out there and get noticed and have people buy your music. So they need a helping hand.
@@Mark-OutWest Sorry, but this is total BS. Labels will not survive without talents. They have used their capital to create and develop an ecosystem where artists have no choice but to be dependent on them. Taylor saw that because she is super genius. She is using her force to slowly change the system and give a massive impact. So, we should all respect her, coz what she has done is monumental and brilliant.
its not a win for artists. labels will just make contracts that stop this happening.
only win for artists is to avoid major labels which are just accounting firms now.
@@varsityathlete9927
Then you will have Artist going to independents !
I'd argue the people making the recording, engineering, mastering, etc. are also artists whose contribution shouldn't be minimized. As well as the ability to bring the best of all those elements together that fit a songwriter's style. I'm not saying that ability hasn't been completely perverted and performing artists completely getting ripped off, but having worked in the retail music recording business, I can't discount the value of everyone involved in promoting artists.
With that said, Taylor's approach is the right thing to do, she's employing/compensating as many of those original folks as possible. (outside of promotions, etc, that part of the business has nearly completely changed since the original recordings.)
I deeply admire her ability to hold a grudge. And it looks like she's working her tail off to make it successful - the re-recordings sound great, the "vault" extras, huge online rollout and support, she's been doing the talk show circuit to support it, etc. I hope it works for her and I hope Scooter et al get stuck with a lump of coal.
@abevigoata5761, replying way late, but here's a huge reason for that grudge: she was offered the ability to purchase the masters at the same(or a higher rate)than they were sold for. The kicker was the had a non-negotiable condition that she record a new album 'replacing' each album master that she acquired, with the recording rights for the new recording staying with the company in perpetuity.
She holds a grudge so gracefully. She hasn't been hateful and she would have a right to be. She just takes back control and leaves them in the dust!❤
The rerecordings have done their job
A year later and we got speak now and 1989, they’ve all done exceedingly well more than the original
@@Baumeister68wow I didn’t know the original terms and conditions. Yeah, she’s sticking it to them.
Think it’s more than anger or so called grudge, it was outsmarting the snakes. She did what many artist felt was wrong. She beat them at their money game. Checkmate!
I went from enjoying the occasional Taylor Swift song, to listening to entire albums to becoming a full on Swiftie. She writes smart, entertaining songs and you can hear the growth of her music throughout. People who dismiss her as using her exes for material likely haven't really listened to her songs. I admire what she is doing here.
Exactly!
Yes, exactly. She's a brilliant songwriter. And those who work with her have been loyal, doing a great job making new music and redoing the old.. I miss seeing some of the early videos, but love what she's done since even more.
Yes, I was one of those who just built their opinion about Taylor from a superficial perspective... I did not knew where she came from and always thought she was just another PRODUCT of the Music Industry not able to write her own songs, is only good-looking and so on... boy, was I wrong, hehehehe. WHAT A BRILLIANT GIRL SHE IS and her lyrics and songs are so well written it's almost unbelievable... as if she fell down from another star with a mission to inspire!
Doesn't EVERY songwriter write from personal experience? How is Taylor any different in this regard???
Right!?
Fun fact: before the RED (Taylor’s Version) release the original RED was charting at No. 21 on Billboard 200 album chart and now both original albums (Fearless & Red) drop out of the charts completely.
I'm not ready for 1989 to drop out of the charts. 😭
@@francesca-selfproclaimed-bleep Don't worry, it will be surpassed completely by 1989 (TV). Which will be a million tomes better just because 🛴 will loose damn money.
I don’t know why but I still prefer the original version. Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but that old version feels more emotive, she wasn’t singing as good as now but they sound vulnerable and purposeful.
@@kalebhoulel.3161 I'm from Atlanta. All Scooter ever did here was throw parties. Once he made money from that, he drew people to work for him. He's talentless. Usher at the time was about to start a power group, but Scooter and Braun found this kid Justin Bieber who they milked like a cow before Taylor came along. They made money through legal contracts like this BS. Scooter's a talentless hack.
@@kalebhoulel.3161 That is such a wild dream, the wildest one i may say!
I’ve never been a Taylor Swift fan but I applaud her for knowing how to handle the music industry!
4:43 Most people will listen to the better version regardless of who owns them. Ozzy Osbourne did something like this years ago. The re-recordings are now out of print. The fans don't know anything about the music industry. Nor do they care.
I agree. She's not my style of music, but I really respect her approach.
What you said
Hi Mitch wiener
Agree. I'll never waste any time listening to her (too many great band to listen and re-listen) but she is definitely business-smart.
She's taking back what's hers and reintroducing herself to a newer generation, it's a win win for her knowing how loyal her fanbase is.
But those recordings are not hers.
Isn't that a form of brainwashing to tell fans NOT to listen to the original recordings, and to only listen to the new ones? If a Swiftie prefers the older versions, does that make them a bad person? This isn't about artistic control, this is about money. A true artist would move forward and create new material to prove that they are a true artist, not regurgitate the same songs (or art) to stick to the man.
I agree what is the big deal! This is about greed!
@@promitra9356she didn't force us to listen to her rerecordings she just put them out and we the swifties are listening and supporting her and I would say it's a personal choice if u prefer her old songs or her newer versions but I as person think that it would be ethical for me to listen to her re-recordings.
@@promitra9356and so what if it's about money? It's her work which is to make music if I can work at office and I would want promotions and all, just like how she is making her music and can make as much money she possibly could idk what's so surprising about it, it's a fact smh
Her rerecording her albums is about the most metal move one could make. She is a heck of a business woman as it is a quite genius move....
Her managers and she are brilliant. Her giving those huge bonuses to people who worked on her latest tour? Also brilliant..
we don't know if the bonuses were out of her own pocket or of what they grossed, I think the latter also for tax purposes, but we have been led to believe that it was hers@@PunguinYoga
@@stefanor.1771 Good point.
@@stefanor.1771there is no difference. The gross is her gross . Anything paid out for staff reduces what goes in her pocket. Tax law requires it be reported as taxable income paid to those employees.
I agree, she may be a country/pop artists, but her re-recordings are a big middle finger to the machine and that's what punk music is all about.
She talked about this on one of the late-night talk shows. She's putting "Taylor's version" on all of the re-recordings so her fans know which recordings to buy.
Also the whole "(taylor's version)" thing has become a meme too, fans putting it after their twitter names etc, it's kind of inspiring to watch it pan out so well for her.
She gets money either way, no matter what one you listen to because she gets song writing royalties.
@@TherealDanielleNelson This is correct, but it's not about the money. It's about the principle of the matter. Whatever money she gets from the old versions, Scooter and the hedge fund both get splits. She has only ever wanted to own her own work, and she's extremely adamant about making sure other artists get to own their work as well. Yes, you could view it purely as a business decision but I really don't think she's in it for the money.
@@TG-nd9rj Then why not give her re-recorded albums away and not have people play for them if it's 'not about the money?' It's about the money. She makes enough that she can give her re-recording away and not make a dent in her bank account.
@@TherealDanielleNelson But why would anyone just give something away for free, let alone 6 albums worth of material? That's not smart business sense.
The fact that the re-recordings are actually better than the originals says everything about her integrity and dedication to her fans. Though She is not my cup of tea, as a musician and songwriter I deeply respect what she has done, and as other commentators have said, feel it is badass.
She can rerecord everything but the Country Music stations will never play her again
@@Zzus321 Who listens to Country Stations Anyways!
@@Zzus321 lmao who cares about country music??
@@ellsworth1956 I read this in the beat of 22 (Taylor's Version).
@@Zzus321 Who needs country stations if Message In A Bottle is all over top 40 right now. Plus, country stations play Walker Hayes way way way too much. I feel like he's actually a prank.
Taylor Swift is redefining all the rules. Where other artists might be afraid to live up to an older recording 10-15 years later, she’s still got the pipes and the incredible dedication to her craft to keep improving. Scooter just gave her the perfect reason to repolish her old songs now that she’s even more experienced.
People dismiss Taylor as a pop star. Listen or read the lyrics to All To Well, and if you can’t relate to that kind of heart ache then you’ve never been in love. I’m a 61 year old man and those lyrics hit me. It’s about a past that can never happen again, and losing love that will always remain a memory. When you get to my age, trust me you’ll start thinking about moments in your life, just like what she wrote about. She’s a gifted writer and a brilliant business woman.
She’s a good songwriter, but not a visionary. Started from money and didn’t look back, but it pains me that there are hundreds of artists nobody has heard or will ever hear who are writing better (or at least as good) material. Many of those are women who will never have her background or ability to make such extreme amounts from their music.
Well, that's not true. I most definitely have been in love. I find the lyrics to be shite and trite. Sorry. I will agree that she is savvy in business and media, absolutely. And, I like her as a person, but not as a musician or songwriter.
@@amybethhurst”and you call me up again just to break me like a promise so causally cruel in the name of being honest” if those lyrics don’t take you out you truly have not experienced this kind of heartbreak her lyrics are amazing and the production of her albums is just as good as
@@TaylorAlisonSwift-yb9lo I’ve always listened but I became a swiftie about 3 years ago
Maybe you should hire her to be your accountant. Maybe you should get stock market advice from her. Maybe you should stop regretting your past mistakes. It's not really healthy. Doesn't everybody write songs about lost love? That seems to be a hot topic and pop music.
It's a brilliant move. She's out-smarted the bullies of the music industry. Definitely applaud her!
This isn't a lesson for outsmarting the money thieves in music its ANOTHER lesson to out smart them.
Remember the GameStop short selling by the hedge fund that got scrambled last year.
Honestly I had little respect for TS. All I thought was she was just another cash generating singing bunny for a pack of music maggots.
My respect for her has just gone way up but not too high I think like all stars she's over-hyped but that might have more to do with the maggots than her.
@@tonywilson4713 I do respect her more than other "artists". She can actually write decent songs, though I don't really listen to her music.
@@robcreel4257 I'm similar. I don't think much of her sugar syrupy songs, but its the endless PR that puts me off a lot of artists.
What impresses me in this story is that she's taking control of here life and career. So many of these people who start young are just treated like disposable puppets.
So as a human being good on her for doing this.
@@tonywilson4713 Well, you cant blame her for your cheap taste on music. Plus, GameStop in stock market is different than Taylor Swift in the music industry. There is a reason why she is a celebrity (one of the most famous ones) and we are not. How can you be bothered by endless PR btw? Big Celebrities like her have news value. But, I would agree on other things that you said about her.
@@cockoffgewgle4993 "the man" is the music industry.
So back in 2006 when Taylor had just released her debut album and Teardrops on my Guitar was the single, I was working as a radio personality. I was given the opportunity to interview her during my show which I did. One thing I remember vividly about the interview is that for someone who was 16 years old at the time, Taylor genuinely seemed to understand the industry. There was a level of maturity that we usually don't see in people as young as her. When she walked out of the studio after the interview, I just knew that she was going to be a huge star someday. So in all honesty this doesn't surprise me in the least. Though she is an absolute sweetheart, she is also known for being ruthless when it comes to business affairs, rumors, the media, etc. She has no problem putting people in their place at all. With that said, I say kudos to her for standing up for her artistic freedom and work!
It's nice to see a public persona that can stand for integrity - but I have never before seen it wrapped in so much vulnerability. Throw into the mix artistic song writing and performance genius and Bravo to Taylor Swift.
@@henrywasserman It's such an inspiration! Even though I don't actively listen to her music, the fact that she stands up for her work so vehemently is wonderful. I'm an artist myself in various ways and, in all honesty, I would fight for my work just as hard as Taylor fights for hers. That's the way it should be. There are so many vicious, greedy sharks in the entertainment industry looking to take advantage of and even steal from artists. It's not right. Unfortunately most are too scared to stand up and fight for their work. It's refreshing to see Taylor Swift not bow down in fear to those types.
@@BreannaMae As Rick mentioned this story has happened over and over to the greatest American treasures and the ones from England too. I read an old article on Louis Armstrong that had his agent saying that he was the one who "made him". I bet that guy believed that too. It's really nice to see the artist directing her own work right back where it belongs.
@ghost mall Misogyny runs deep in our culture. Men continue to hate what they don't understand. But Taylor is first an artist and everything after that is just a matter of how she is growing changing and seeking and then after that how she is being treated. The thing is - her fan base sisterhood understand the secret communication, it's immediate and obvious to me and to them that she is telling THEIR story and they love her deeply for doing that.
@ghost mall there’s absolutely nothing wrong with admitting you like Taylor Swift’s music, no matter what your gender is! Music is a universal language; a form of artistic expression. Just because it’s made by a certain artist with a certain demographic in mind doesn’t make you less of a person for enjoying it. I personally am not a fan of Taylor Swift’s music, but I respect and admire her for standing up for creativity. That takes guts!
I’m in the same boat as you in terms of age and the type of music I’m a fan of. Taylor’s music doesn’t do it for me at all. However it does appeal to a broad range of people, which is very telling. So yeah as I said I’m more impressed with her personality than anything else. The first thing I remember her doing upon walking into the radio studio was giving me a hug, same when she walked out. As if that weren’t sweet enough, she searched me out on MySpace (not to age myself 😂) and wrote a message on my page thanking me for interviewing her and playing her song. We kept in contact for a little while after that, until I left MySpace. Then she became the pop superstar she is today. Who knows how she is today, but I’ll never forget how sweet she is …and how tall she is. Seriously I felt like a midget standing next to her haha!
I have MAD respect for Taylor Swift. She is a great songwriter, a brilliant businesswoman, and from everything I have seen and heard, a generally good person.
I saw her the first night in Denver. I was blown away she is a true genius and a great person
Not a fan of Taylor's music, but this makes me want to listen to her re-recordings and I give her huge props for taking on the Big Machine. So cool.
@@nealm6764 Her Tiny Desk Concert for NPR is quite good -- it's just her, playing guitar and then piano, and singing a few of her songs and talking a little about them.
@@nealm6764 Try folklore. I loved that album
@@nealm6764 in that case give a listen to her albums folklore and evermore, her very recent ones , in 2020 , they're not pop, they're alternative folk inspired music , you'll be impressed .
Edit : and also there's a disney plus , live sessions of her folklore album (folklore the long pond studio sessions) which is a live performance of the entire album in a stripped-down acoustic way with her 2 producers and also you get to hear the stories behind the songs , some about her personal life and some based on imaginary stories .
Same feeling. Actually the fact that she isn't like embarrassed by her old material but still stands by it proudly made me go listen to her music. I'm so glad that I did :)
Hey I am a massive Swift fan.. and I only came across her music 6 months ago. She has captured my musical heart.. she is a superb melodist.
Please listen to the rerecording of the song Red (from the newly rerecorded album of the same name). You can find it on TH-cam on her channel. Killer song, killer driving guitar riffs .. and her voice sounds so good now.. I love her straight delivery.
Everyone of my mates I play it to goes.."that's awesome.. who is it?"
"Taylor Swift" I say and they look at me totally perplexed. They are all thinking of Shake It Off and pop songs like that!
I've never cared much for Pop artists of any genre, but this is just genius and I have a huge respect for Taylor.
not even david bowie?
I love these sort of stories. It doesn't happen very often, but to have overcoming adversity under your belt is the greatest of qualities.
Taylor herself has reached a status that supersedes any record company, distributor or publisher. She's her own boss and payroll company now. She has my blessings.
100%
I once never liked Taylor Swift. Then in an unguarded moment, I sat down and really listened. And kept listening. I don’t know where the initial motivation came from, but I am so glad I did. I started as late as “Lover” so I was really behind the ball. And an unexpected thing happened. I started to fall in love with her music. I’m now over the early infatuation but the journey to loving what she does continues. I’ll be listening to her re-recording of “All Too Well” ( I didn’t hear it the first time round on Red). Her gutsy re-recording of those first six albums signals to me I made one of the best decisions of my life by actually sitting down and listening to her. My only regret is I left it far too long - and could’ve been enjoying her music years ago. (Edited to correct typos)
I also started as far as lover, and now I have her album art as my profile picture haha
Welcome to the club
It’s something great to open ourselves up to something new. I hated Taylor when I first saw her judging solely on her looks… sorry she does look bitchy? But I listen to song after song and I was completely wrong about her. She has a spectrum of emotions & I cry to songs she wrote about her family.
"Lover" is a great song.
Hey Snap! I am a rocker/metalhead and I only discovered her music 6 months ago after happening across her 1989 world tour movie. Wow.. that concert movie blew me away.. and as I learnt more about her and her beginnings.. and bought her back catalogue.. I just fell in love with her music.
She uses simple progressions but her sense of melody is just insane.
Songs like Love Story, Mine, Enchanted, Wildest Dreams, Red, Me, Cardigan and Christmas Tree Farm really show her amazing versatility. Her rocked up version of We Are Never Getting Back Together onbthe 1989 world tour is superb. And the new Red rerelease is utterly brilliant .. the title track is a killer song, with beautifully recorded dirty guitars and the bridge-solo-outro a heart grabbing goose bump inducing section of music.
She's a class act and a true songbird.
Now one of my all time favourite artists.
Taylor Swift is a friggin' genius. I had never listened to much of her music before the re-record of Red came out, but this brilliant move made me pay attention, and now I am a casual fan.
Absolute agree 100% Her genius is melody IMHO. I think she writes by melody and picks out chords to harmonize what she has in her head. The progressions are usually quite simple.. but who cares.. when the hooks are that strong you just can't fight it!
The Red rerecord is such a good double album.. full of gems.. country/rock/pop/acoustic ballads.
The title track "Red" is such a killer song.. one of my all time favourites. The bridge-solo-chorus outro section gets me every time.
Tay Tay forever 😄
I will just add .. make sure you get the re-record of her "Speak Now" album when she does it. It's a little masterpiece, and 100% Swift written (no co-writers). There are some special songs on that album like "Enchanted" and with her more mature voice and better production the rerecord is going to be wonderful. I personally can't wait.
@@guitarpaul3645 same same omgg
Did you liked All Too Well (10 min TS)?
@@MiguelRuiz-jm2te It's not actually one of my favourite songs of hers, although I appreciate that it is a fan favourite. I prefer the shorter version (on disc 1). My favourites are State of Grace, Red, We Are Never Getting Back Together, and Trouble.
I don’t think that everyone quite understand how huge it is for Taylor Swift to record all of her music. If you listen to the crowd, reactions alone, everyone is ecstatic about this! I went to the era’s tour show at Sofi stadium in Inglewood California on August 9. When she dropped a bombshell that she is going to be re-recording 1989, the crowd lost it!
I totally agree with you Rick!! Nobody listens, buys, pays for the old versions of her albums!!! So she has literally Millions of fans, and almost all of them are buying the re-recorded versions! Not only that, but during the pandemic lock down, she made 3 or 4 entire albums in two years!!! Nobody does that! But she did!!! I have nothing but respect and appreciation for this woman!
JoJo re-recorded her 1st two albums as well. The old label took them down from streaming and iTunes and she recorded them so the writers could get their royalties. I applaud both ladies! I agree the newer versions are like 10x better. Tell Me Why OG was not my favorite and Taylor’s version is amazing. Taylor improved upon all the songs like you said.
well said - what was done to Jojo was just insane. The fact that she's 30 now and blew up when she was 13 and the insane record company fucked her over completely and she was robbed of probably the 15 most productive years of her career (she should have been what Ariana Grande is now, her voice is SO much better than AG)
The issue: Taylor wants her masters back from the organization that now owns them, because they are 2-3 sales removed from the entity she had her original contract with. If she "was offered the chance to purchase them" and declined, they were asking her to pay market rate, I would guess. By re-recording the albums she is creating a new revenue stream for herself based on her own work AND devaluing the older albums that someone else owns. Ultimately this may result in her being able to buy back her old albums at a lower rate, and if it doesn't she still gets to benefit from her work where she couldn't before. It's pretty dope.
She was never offered the originals and only found out about the sale after it was completed. She stated at the time that had she known they were going to be sold she would have purchased them.
She would have little interest in buying back the originals now I think.
She was never offered to buy them.She was offered 1 album back for a new one brought in(like prince) or how her old label said "some sort of streaming deal",whatever that means.The latest buyer,shamrock wanted to work with her but scooter still somehow profits from them and taylor doesn't want him benefiting from them if she would buy them.
@@peterbondy It depends on who you believe as Taylor, Scooter and Scott Borchetta have made conflicting claims.
@@bendowson3124 I know who I believe, who I feel has shown integrity consistently throughout their lives, and who hasn’t.
We’ll never know for sure but if I had to place a bet …
In any case good on her for torpedoing their investment piggybacking her creativity.
I believe she declined because to buy them didn't just want money they wanted to lock her into a contract to make more music for them. They basically tried to blackmail her.
You've got to respect Taylor Swift's rage. You go girl.
a lot of people think that she doesn’t have a great voice or vocal range, so i encourage you to listen to beautiful ghosts. to me it really showcases how amazing her voice is, and how diverse her voice is.
Its always weird that people think just because she doesn’t have a wide vocal range she can’t be good. She has so much strength and power in her voice and amazing breath work. She does amazingly in her range. And is an incredibly talented songwriter too. No one has it all (well maybe some do), but no one needs to have it all either. (Not at you zoe)
@@harmony8623 I completely agree, it isn’t needed to be great!
I have been reading articles about what she's doing, and I'm back to watch this video again. What she's done is absolutely jaw dropping. So impressive. She refuses to lose control of her art. *huge respect*
I think it’s important to mention that she is able to do this because she owns the musicality and lyrics’ rights to her songs. She has been blocking songs from her old catalogs from being in movies and commercials because she owns that portion. She has always told people to write their own songs so they can still retain some control over their art.
I agree with you, this is a fantastic move on her part. Many others had attempted it before but hadn’t been nearly as successful as her because she exposed this shady side of the industry and the manipulation that goes behind the scenes. She also came prepared, when her old manager and then 🛴 tried to make her out to be a liar, her publicist came out with receipts of emails they had sent her denying her from using the songs on the Artist of the Decade performance and her Netflix documentary. 🛴 also wanted her to sign a shady NDA before she could even start negotiations prohibiting her from ever taking negatively about him after all the crap they put her through. Her old label offered to let her buy one album for every new one she put out; she would’ve never owned her music if she had stayed with them.
I’m so here for the better versions of her old songs and the vault tracks which is a great incentive to buy her albums. I own and listen only to her versions and cannot wait for Speak Now which seems like the next re-recording 🤡😂
Prince was the first one to rebel against these music industry norms (that is why he used to perform with the word SLaVe across his face until his music company relented.)
All writers own the underlying song compositions. She re-recorded so that she would own the new recordings. She did not own the original recordings. The songs themselves have always been hers (or whatever % she wrote).
@@louisg3598 from what I have read, there are two types of ownership and she owns the composition portion because she wrote the songs. She didn’t own the original masters which is why she had to re-record because that is the portion that gets distributed. She now owns both portions of the legal ownership so she has total control over her new masters.
Taking away NOTHING from Taylor, the shady side of the industry was first exposed by Prince.
@@justlina2769 for sure. I even mentioned that he had tried to fight them. I don’t think he was successful at his re-recordings because he wasn’t taken seriously and the labels had all the power. Now some artists can be modestly successful being independent if they use their socials in a smart way.
Mentioning how others have come before and made their own mark shouldn’t take away from any current act. I think it’s just the way she’s gone about it plus her loyal fan base that has made all the difference in her quest to reclaim her work. I think it’s sad that the success she has had will now make it harder for others to have the same opportunity in the future. Labels are already making changes to their contracts and upping the number of years artists have to wait to re-record their work if they want to own their masters. It’s so shady and so unfair to those who create art.
This is genius. Not only do swifties get to hear all the new stuff she makes, it she’s basically rereleasing her entire career all over again, so the nostalgia trip is incredible.
Good for her she’s a musical lyrical and business genius not to mention absolutely stunning ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Frank Sinatra did the same thing to Capitol when he formed Reprise Records. He had the Nelson Riddle Orchestra redo the studio versions of his best tracks when he was still owned by Capitol, and released them on his own label, which became the de facto "default versions" of the songs. Some of those, like "Summer Wind" and "Fly Me To The Moon" are almost indistinguishable from each other to the casual listener.
Hence the label name, "Reprise?"
And not a few of those songs were ones he’d had hits with at Columbia before that. He basically re-recorded his catalog twice.👍🏻😎
Shocked! Shocked! That Beato did not know this. Though Sinatra could not improve many of the songs because they were impeccably performed the first time.
@@xpindy Frankly, I wouldn't go that far. The Reprise recordings of "Summer Wind" and "Come Fly With Me" are superior to the earlier tracks.
She's stood up, face to face with the money grabbers and kicked them where it hurts. Well done to Rick for boosting her cause.
This was a financial institution that she kicked where it hurts. I know you imagine some fat guy smoking a cigar lounging on a big pile of money, but actually, this could be your mom's retirement account.
@@wickedhouston5538 Her record label did not steal from her. They probably stole from plenty of others, but they played their part with Swift. They sold her music as part of a larger deal at some point which was their right. She just didn't like who they sold it to. Sounds to me like she spent way more time and energy on this than it was worth. I doubt the extra money made on the new recordings will make any difference to her. And even more than that, I doubt it will affect anyone who was able to afford to spend $300,000,000.00 on the rights to music. I'm sure Mr. Scooter will be just fine at the end of the day.
@@christr1ut87 Well, your analysis is impressively poor. Nice try though. What Scooter and Scott did was clearly malicious. Business rights without ethics is embarrassing. Dont forget that Big Machine would not big as it is without Taylor's arts. Well, her time and energy is worth it. Those re-recordings already part of the biggest albums in 2021. As for your last comment that Scooter will be fine, that is good for him. What good for Taylor and Swifties is he would never be part of Taylor's career. He can screw other artists but not Taylor.
@@christr1ut87
Nope!
First off she , Taylor, never said her label stole from her but they did say after getting slammed in a lie and having to back track and let her use her music when she received artist of the decade award, say that she owed them money!
Well of course her attorneys and accountants and her dad who has been in the financial investment forum as his career his entire life knew that statement was false!
But they proved it was false and come to find out they owed her like between $6-$7 Million!
So in reality maybe they were stealing from her. Just sayin!
Not a Taylor Swift music fan but I admire her. The woman is brilliant! I think it's awesome that she took back her songs!
I love and admire her. She has survived a very tough business and she is thriving. Her songs and new music are amazing and a joy to sing to. She is definetely "The Man" !
I’ve never listened to TS but I have purchased Evermore and Red on vinyl. The packaging is lavish and the recording is clean. The performances are stellar. She’s really awesome.
I actually don't really listen to pop music at all, but I've always had a huge amount of respect for Taylor Swift because (and I've read this verified in several well sourced places) she always writes her own music - sometimes alone, or sometimes in collaboration with others. She never just buys music to sing, unlike many other artists. Her music is her own, which is, frankly, rare for a pop artist. So she has talent, and she's not a dummy, and that is something to be respected. And yes, what she did in response to this outrageous move against her was brilliant. She not only has talent, she has drive and passion. I hope it's a lesson to other artists out there on many different levels and she deserves the massive amounts of fandom that she has. It may not always be my style of music, but she is quite frankly an amazing and talented person and artist.
@@bw2937 Do they co-write, or is that just the cost of admission for getting a major star to record your song? That the star gets a co-writing credit to share in the songwriter's royalties as a pre-condition to agreeing to do your song?
Swift has a few solo compositions but the vast majority of her songs have at least 1-2 outside co-writers. I don't know why she's held up as an exception. There are many, many songwriters who completely write their own songs.
@@SpookyApparition Back when she hadn't been signed yet she wrote songs alone as well. You should read the poem she wrote when she was a child/pre-teen about a monster, I think. Some of her best songs were written by her alone like "my tears ricochet". She's not an exception in writing her own music, you're right, but she's one of the best songwriters of this generation and definetly the best mainstream songwriter of this past decade. Co-writers sometimes help with the melodies and get credited, so I think that’s where it comes from. I'm pretty sure she comes up with the main idea and then gets help from the co-writers
@@bw2937 From what I have read it it very rare today for artists on the pop charts to write their own songs - even when they have a co-writer credit. Up-and-coming songwriters often have to agree to share credit (and royalties) to get an established singer to record their song. Established hit-making songwriters have more clout.
@@douglasbrown1950 Usually producers have that in the contract but Taylor writes her own stuff,even liz rose who helped at the beginning said she writes evreything and then came to her.
I don't really follow modern music drama (or modern music in general) but I love this story. Kudos to Taylor for reminding these people whose talent it is they are trying to make money off of.
So I just watched the Era's Tour movie last night. I'm a fan but no where near the level of Swiftie like my wife and others out there. But I have to say, it was phenomenal. The performances, production, the music, everything was amazing. But what got me was during the Fearless set, what you see on screen is, at the heart of the movie, a little girl who is living her dream. She's someone I can point to and tell my daughter, "you can do that one day too". I don't know how Taylor did it, but damn she made something special.
Ever since I've heard what she did I thought it was a really badass move! Definitely the right approach. Now I'm just wondering how many other artist will follow her footsteps and do the same!
Her suit against Spotify was a lift for all artists and songwriters. My publishing company, Wixen, joined her in that suit. Trust me, the record companies did not like it.
And, the outcome was more royalties for the artists. I am eternally grateful for the way Swift has stood up for dignity and fairness. Respect.
I really love that she's sticking it to the suits...lol
Shes a copy band of herself so they cant come at her for it..lol Brilliant.
Lots of artists already have. It was not her idea. I remember Squeeze did this with their Spot the Difference compilation like 10 years ago.
Exactly.
@@pcole11 If I remember correctly, Kelly Clarkson was the one who tweeted at Taylor in 2019 to do this.
The rerecorded songs are most definitely far and away better than the originals- I've listened to many of them side by side recordings, and it shows. She's deserves credit for doing this.
The point is, you have to stop listening to them back-to-back. 👍
@@andrewrobinson2565 My point was, I was interested in the difference in quality of the production, and most definitely listened to them to compare. ;) 👍
All I can recall a particularly breathless vocal performance on a ‘new’ recording that sounded like it was performed just a few words at a time and edited to death.
@@kevbob I understand that but..... you know 👍.
well....wanegbt is .....weeeeEEEeeee
I watched the entire video of one of her concerts. She is amazing. I can't think of another current artist who is as talented and gifted as Swift. She loves her fans and publicly acknowledges the people who support her on stage.
As an older fan, I respect Taylor the most for her songwriting talent and obvious business acumen.
She may have just revolutionized the music business, in favor of artists. While I only like a handful (maybe it’s even 10) of her songs (most is too pop or country for my taste), I’ve had great respect for her for years, and this just shows how much she deserved that respect.
Try Folklore and Evermore. The story telling is brilliant. And no pop or country
As a metal head, I dig some of Taylor’s stuff. She’s a good songwriter period.
She doesn't write any of her own music. Get a clue
@@mikebyj2310 Any huh? How the hell would you know that smart aleck.
@@JoshuaCastillo6309 Common sense... One of the biggest artists in the world? You think she got there by herself? She has teams of producers working for her. All pop stars do, and that includes rock bands, too.
@@mikebyj2310 You’re over generalizing it. She’s definitely not Elvis, but not quite a hack like Justin Bieber or Cardi B either. She’s a legit talented songwriter and has written a lot of her songs. Maybe some have had assistance but not all.
@@mikebyj2310 There are many videos of her in the process of song creation. Lover, Delicate, Getaway Car many more. People who work with her, Aaron Dressner, Jack Antonoff say she is an incredible song writer. Her songs reference one another in many intricate ways. It would be pretty hard to do that if it wasn't all from the same person. Does she collaborate? Absolutely. Is her music produced? Yes of course it is.
Musicians who have worked with her are amazed at her prowess in the studio.
Hey Rick! You are the first person who explained that re-recording-thing quite clear to me.
Now i understand what was going on. Greetings from Cologne.
I've always had real respect for Taylor Swift because of the way she treated and engaged with her fan and it's really paying off with this rerecording because of the high-level loyalty from her fans. It's a lesson to engage and treat your fans with love and respect. She always did that and wasn't thinking she'd be recording everything again. Taylor has real integrity and is an example of how that always pays off. Honesty and integrity is always the safest and most sound long-term investment into yourself.
I just purchased Taylor’s version of Fearless and Red albums. I’m impressed with her savvy business sense and the tenacity to protect her own music.
Didn't really know much about her. Saw her on the NPR Tiny desk series and was impressed with her ability to engage and communicate . Gonna buy all 6 rerecorded albums , screw Scooter Braun.
Now Taylor has the most #1 songs out of any female artist in the history of the music industry. She's a true Pioneer. I can't say enough good and inspirational things about her.
The more you look at Swift’s story and her journey in music, the clearer it becomes she’s Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame material. And that kind of proclamation is only going to gather more steam the closer she gets to her eligibility year. If someone thinks that AI or whatever will be able to repeat her story to the letter, let them try. She’s earned it, man.
She'll absolutely be unanimous on first ballot when she first becomes eligible in a little over seven years.
@@fletchbg ‘31 will be her year, which should please her something fierce; I don’t have to tell you what number that is in reverse.
It’s important to distinguish between the recordings and the songs. Pretty sure Taylor has always owned the publishing (songs), otherwise she wouldn’t be able to re-record them. So what Scooter owns appears to be the original recordings. Hence re-recording the songs so she owns both on the new ones. And she’s coming to these songs from a more mature perspectives, with more experience and skill. It’s a great idea.
The "mechanical" rights from publishing involve compulsory (statutory) royalties, there is some form-filing and several rights administration organizational hands things pass through, but there is generally no restriction in creating ones own cover of a song. Your distinction between "publishing" rights vs master recording rights is spot on.
True. That's why she can do this at the first place. To own publishing right, an artist should be credited as a writer/producer in their own music. Taylor has that. She always credited herself as a main writer and an excecutive producer in her music. Previously she owned the publishing right with Sony Publishing which is BMG partner. Now since she's under republic record, she moved her publishing right to universal.
Thx
I was never a big fan but that changed when I listened to her two 'lockdown' albums "Folklore" & "Evermore". Apparently, they're both departures from her previous pure pop records with a more folk/alt-rock feel which is perhaps why I like them. You can't deny she's a talented writer & artist, but her handling of 'the industry' is sheer brilliance - Good on her!
Same here, i like both of those albums a lot.
Sounds like she's going back to her country roots 💕💕
I tried liking those albums, but the sound was uninteresting and did not evoke folk music at all. The instrumentation was lacking and quite boring. There are better female folk singers in her generation, like First Aid Kit.
Great video ! Well explained now i finally understand what happened. Thank you.
It was a brilliant move financially - she was fiscally ready to purchase the original work, and was blocked in a ridiculous way. She instead uses that capital to re record at her cost (which I am guessing was less than what the purchase would have cost?), and can now collect higher profits on the new work in perpituaty. Good for her!!!
Perpetuity
I'm not a big fan of Taylor Swift, but I heard that re-release of All Too Well and I have to agree, that it is an amazing song and her voice sounded much more mature than her earlier stuff. Very good.
Always awesome when you give these pop stars credit where credit is due.
Many fans of older music (that watch channels like yours) are often quick to write off everything they do before giving it a chance.
@@bw2937 I wouldn't go that far
I just took a group of 6 15-20yo young women to the local Taylor Swift tour stop, an all-day trip with 3-4 hour drives on either end. I missed Rick's commentary on this topic when it came out and since then "Speak Now(Taylor's Version)" has been released. Missing some of the 'twang' which is unfortunate but guessing she didn't want it there in the first place.
A few observations:
1. All young artists should know...there's historically been a long route and a short route to success/stardom(and how much of it) in the music business. You can make a pretty good living as a successful songwriter, those rights have been in place for about 100 years now. If you're not independently wealthy and don't hit the jackpot with one of your songs getting recorded by a major label artist you've had the choice of soldiering on until if/when you can, or you can make a deal with the devil to have them "make" you a star(but they'll want their cut in perpetuity for doing so.) I was never a big fan of Garth Brooks' until his Vegas shows, but I saw him once explain why he mostly stopped songwriting. He got to a point where his recording of a song netted at least a million dollars for the songwriter. He didn't need that money, but it sure would make a difference for a lot of songwriters, so he made a point of seeking out great songs to record from underappreciated songwriters to share the wealth. "Callin' Baton Rouge" is a great example of this, the songwriters previous biggest hit was Elvis' "Burnin' Love". But Elvis/Col. Parker had a different approach: anything he recorded the songwriters had to sign over their rights to him. Famously Elvis wanted to record Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You", and as much as she idolized Elvis, she wouldn't sign over songwriting credit. 20 years later that decision financially set her up for life when Whitney Houston made such a hit of it.
2. Taylor made the deal with the record companies for them to make her a huge star, they invested heavily in her and that investment was a gamble, no matter how slight of a gamble, she was a sure thing. All that studio time, session musicians, engineers, producers, promotions, etc. all have value in making her a 'product', and that's what you sign away as an artist if you want to take that route to success instead of being an 'independent'. Where this all went wrong is that once she was financially able to buy the rights to those recordings made of her art, there were strings attached to that offer. They'd only sell each master to her(at the same rate they wound up selling) if she recorded a new album for them that the company would still have the rights for. This was the manipulation(along with the denial of performance rights for a few TV performances) that prompted Kelly Clarkson to remind Taylor that she was the songwriter and could just make new recordings.
3. It's a brilliant strategy and Taylor's made other great strides for artists, but this tour ticketing fiasco is a huge glaring chink in her character/image. There was no reason for ALL of the tickets for a nationwide stadium tour to go onsale all on the same day, and within a 3 hours window, besides being able to boast that you sold $2 billion of tickets within 4 hours. It crashed horribly for the west coast dates, most that had pre-sale codes spent 6-8 hours that day getting tickets. And oddly none of the ticket costs, by seating, were available before having a few minutes to buy them, when buyers had been waiting hours past on-sale time and watching the available selections going unavailable in real-time. Then the added insult of $40-100 in TM fees PER TICKET...a $210 ticket wound up being $291, times 6. What justifies TM collecting $350 in fees for a single purchase of 6 tickets? Taylor said "sorry" but never did anything about it. When The Cure had the same situation happen on their spring tour, Robert Smith had enough pull to get ticket buyers rebated some of those fees from Ticketmaster. Now why in the world couldn't Taylor be an advocate for her fans and minimize those fees for her fans?(like Pearl Jam has always done). At the very least, she could have had a tour sponsor underwrite a free t-shirt or other wearable for each attendee, like is done for other events.
Bought all the the 3 "Taylor's Version" vinyl records by now, and i am not even a swiftie 😁...totally agree, brilliant recording and mastering
I think the whole thing requires a long and nuanced discussion to understand all the negative and positive things that will come out of the re-recordings. But one thing that needs to be acknowledged the most is that Taylor is de facto de-valuing the worth of her first six albums. Imagine you are an artist and have to do this to your own work (12 years of your life)... She makes it look like a badass move and is very self-confident when promoting her re-recordings but I can only imagine how much it must hurt to sabotage your own work like this. Also, nobody could know whether it would pay off - her fanbase is extremely loyal but even then, a lot of fans have been listening to these albums for years so it's difficult to suddenly get used to a new version of them. Plus, she has 6 albums to re-record and probably plans to do it within 3 years to be able to regain control of her old music as quickly as possible. But then, it means she needs to keep her fans attention for this long and get us excited about stuff we've already heard... This means she needs a different marketing strategy for each album she re-records. I'm sure she's got plenty of surprises in store but there's 4 more re-recordings to go so keeping this level of interest throughout all of them will be tough. As her fan though, I already stopped listening to the music she doesn't own and I'm waiting impatiently for my favourite old albums of hers to be re-released.
Excellent points. I am a huge (new) fan of Swift. I thought exactly the same as you.. the fans are too in love with the old recordings that they won't switch to the new. So I wondered if it was a futile move. How wrong I was.
The rerecords sound phenomenal.. light years better than the originals. Especially the Red re-record. They are similar enough in instrumentation, but so sonically superior (and her voice so much stronger) that there really is no point listening to the originals.
Plus it's a genius stroke to release numerous vault tracks and turn the re-records into wonderful double albums. Some of the vault tracks are superb.. I can't quite believe they didn't make the cut for the original album.
I'm going to have an ear orgasm when she gives Speak Now the same treatment.
Since Taylor composes the majority of her material, she controls the composer copyright on her recordings.
While Shamrock (the hedge firm that owns the original masters) holds what I believe to be the recording copyright, they can’t license anything unless Taylor (as the songs composer) signs off on it.
She has stated that she gets daily requests from TV and film production companies for use of Shake It Off and Blank Space. She turns them down as Shamrock would also benefit from their use of the original recording.
Taylor will only sign off on songs from LOVER, FORKLORE, EVERMORE, FEARLESS (TAYLOR’S VERSION) and RED (TAYLOR’S VERSION) since she has complete and full ownership of these songs.
Once she re-records and releases the new version of 1989, only then will she allow the use of those songs.
@@mariofrias2227 I can't help think that is a mistake on her part. To veto your own music from potentially appearing in a great movie (thus enhancing its longevity) simply to stop someone you hate from profiting seems short sighted. The songs from 1989 are the ones most likely to be in demand.. and if I was her I would just OK their use until she rerecords them herself.
@@guitarpaul3645 I think in Taylor’s case, she’s taking the mindset that she will be in control of her music and how it gets used.
Part of her reasoning might be the manner in which Scott Borchetta initially wanted a “quid pro quo” agreement to get her masters back. He initially told her for each new album she turned in she would receive the masters for one of her first albums Big Machine had ownership of.
When Scooter Braun wanted a NDA as part of the negotiations, that’s when I believe she decided to forge the path she’s on.
She probably is aware of the revenue she’s losing.
However, it’s just a minor “blip” in the Taylor Swift revenue stream. I believe that Taylor is thinking big picture and is trying to set the stage for future singer/songwriters to have more ownership of their recordings because not everyone will have the industry clout and wealth to take on a major label like she can.
It's the same work.
I'm nervous about 1989...it's such a classic, the songs and their performance and production are cemented.
Same, it’s pure pop perfection 💜
There are a lot of 90s bands that have re-recorded their hit songs in order to license them. Most of theses are available on streaming services. Some of these bands have done impeccable jobs, (Sponge with Molly and Plowed) and other bands have done horrendous jobs, (Everclear with Santa Monica). I think it could be an interesting video comparing some of these. Also see: Wheetus trying to rerecord Teenage Dirtbag because the multi track tapes were lost and there are artists that want to do remixes since the song has had a renaissance.
I can't tell you how glad I am you came down on the right side of this. You stand for artists. I'm so glad.
@@TaylorAlisonSwift-tp7tu since the first Letterman appearance. (Fearless.)
Taylor's voice really started rounding into what it is now starting with Red. I can't imagine 1989, Reputation, etc. sounding much different aside from technical/production improvements. Although I would miss the innocence in her voice that the older albums had. It'll just be a nostalgia trip to my high school days
I think she still sounds a bit younger on 1989. The difference is not as noticeable as on her early albums when her voice was much more nasally and would strain on the high notes, but I think on songs like Shake It Off, you will hear a bit of a difference.
Reputation yes. But her voice strengthened a lot between 1989 and Reputation so there might be noticeable differences. Regardless the rerecordings will all be better or arranged slightly differently - a lot of the instrumentals a better on the rerecords and the vocals are featured more prominently. The key will definitely be the vault tracks for those albums as they would be eagerly awaited potentially even more so than most of the Red vault tracks.
@@hilary3219 Yeah, the gap between when she finished making 1989 and when she started making reputation is roughly early 2014 to mid 2016, so more than two years. I know she was "taking a break" but she's also said she finds making music therapeutic, so maybe she just meant taking a break from touring and promoting. I would be surprised if she didn't write quite a few songs in those 2.5 years (and then just scrapped them because they no longer fit with what was going on with her life and what she thought "reputation" should be about).
Taylor really invested in her fanbase. One of the pioneers in using social media platforms to promote music(starting with MySpace) I'd say & now the fans are standing by her!
Outstanding Commentary!!!! Thank You!!!
The level of expertise and breadth of knowledge that bring so much depth to your analyses make the value of your videos incomparable.
I've thoroughly enjoyed so many of your videos and realized that I had never expressed my appreciation in the comments section, so I thought I would rectify that today.
Looking forward to more of your extremely insightful and informative content!
From a USA Today article: The ousting made news on its own. But then Swift sent McLean, 76, flowers and a note (“I will never forget that I'm standing on the shoulders of giants,” she wrote, in part), which he publicly praised, and “American Pie” was reinvigorated yet again.
What?
This is why I love Taylor. She knows what the right thing is to do, and does it. She shows respect and love to her fans, peers, and elders, and it gets returned back to her for that reason.
@@nealm6764 I thought it was November Rain but but that song only went to #3 still kind impressive that any song over 3:05 makes on the charts. Excuse my Billy Joel Reference.
@@nealm6764 Surprisingly the number of radio plays factors greatly into the billboard charts which is why it was so hard for BTS to make it on there because radio stations are very reluctant to play kpop. Streaming and physical album sales or digital single sales are also part of it with sales counting more.
Super smart choice and I applaud her for it! Squeeze did the same thing to their singles catalogue and titled the album "Spot The Difference". It's a win for them *and* the fans...especially ones like myself who know the material well enough to indeed spot the differences! The modern recordings sound better and even though the songs are recorded to be true to the originals, the subtle variations are fantastic! Glenn's voice has aged wonderfully, with a great high-frequency rasp that modern microphones pick up to give the vocals a pleasing texture that wasn't there (or at least not captured) in the '80's.
Thank you for this video!!!
Awesome Taylor Swift!! You are So Smart & So Talented 👏👏🙌🙌❤️❤️ Love your music Your lyrics!!
Natalie Merchant’s re-record of Tigerlily, made for other reasons, was a stunning achievement.
Likewise Louis Armstrong re-recorded his early works on a four LP set Satchmo: A musical autobiography in the 1950s at the height of his powers and with substantially better studio techniques.
What were the “other reasons”?
@@WhyTheHorseface In a statement, Merchant called Tigerlily her "most significant album" and said, "I wanted to record these songs again because it seemed unfair to confine them to the way that they were performed in the studio in 1995. ...
I’ve never listened to Taylor Swift but this is a smart move. The music industry is rarely a friend to the artists.
Vangelis (Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire) recorded an album in 1969-70 (“L’ Apocalypse des Animaux”) that sat blocked from release for TWO YEARS … because one music executive didn’t like a song on the album (“Creation du Monde”), one of the more beautiful tracks. One reason why Vangelis has contempt for the music industry.
Got curious about her music because of recent events and catching the Legal Eagle video. Her move with these six albums was genius.
As always. Great info.
'If somebody wants to control their catalogue, maybe let them." BRAVO!!! Truer words were never spoken. 😀
To the average listener, the new recordings sound nearly identical to the originals. To someone who knows music as well as Rick, the difference is glaring. The new recordings sound MUCH better. As a bonus, one of the nationally syndicated radio channels (iHeart Radio, I think... but I could be wrong) has stated that they will replace Taylor's older songs with the new versions as they become available.
Braun made the mistake of thinking only in terms of business assets. He totally missed that Taylor has the money, fans, and hutzpah to re-record her entire back catalogue. And in a stroke of genius, she has added previously unreleased songs on the new albums.
100% the difference is massive. The new Red TV sounds absolutely phenomenal. and I don't bother listening to the original anymore.
This is a fantastic development in pop music: a recording artist finally gets the upper hand in a fight with the money grubbing music business executives who are trying do them over!!!
Go Taylor Swift! 💗👊
That legal eagle was on here just makes it even better. love both of your guy's podcasts
Very few acts have the economic and creative power to pull off what Taylor Swift had done so it should be celebrated but the focus should not be lost that this is like seeing Haley’s Comet as it doesn’t happen that often.
Great video! I'm an old guy and only recently got interested in TS. I have a couple of her recent albums but none of her old catalog. Now I know what to look for if I start buying in to her older work! Truly excellent!
She's just so inspiring. Making so many lives special with her music. Motivational lyrics. And just an all around great person and songwriter. I'd consider her legendary because of all the billboard records she broke. Broken more records than the Beatles, stones and Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston combined.
Great stuff thank you!! I hope many other artists do the same!!!
Incredibly talented, prolific, industrious, and ambitious. Mad respect for T Swift.
Smart, beautiful, and wicked talented. Taylor knows she has the power to stand up for herself and others (especially
women) against the dregs and bullies of the music business. You may or may not be a fan of all her stuff, but she de-
serves a ton of R-E-S-P-E-C-T. She seems to be getting better as she grows up, too, which is not always the case with
people who reach that level of stardom at such a young age.
Hey Larry - you want talent, beauty, intelligence, with meaningful songs -: Tatiana Smailyuk of Jinjer
"Seems to be getting better". 100% she is.. her voice has improved massively. It's actually really good for us Swifties that she is rerecording her early records. Her voice can now do her many wonderful older songs full justice. I am so looking forward to Speak Now getting the re-record treatment.
am becoming a bigger fan as I learn more about her. Smart lady with good morals and great voice.
@@guitarpaul3645 I think he was referring not to her obvious singing talent but that as she gets older she is more and more standing up for the little people and not letting celebrity go to her head.
Ok, this makes sense to me now. I've always loved Taylor Swift & I can't get enough of the new version of All Too Well (so good!). But I wondered what drove the purpose of re-recording albums that aren't that old. Now I know & I get it.
I've always loved Taylor's knack & style of writing. For example "dancin' around in the refrigerator light". That's really creative, simple & relatable. Because I've actually done with my wife! I imagine a lot of people have. And above the wonderful melodies Taylor is known for, her style of writing is just brilliant. In fact, I've always felt a connection, or similarity rather, in Taylor's quick wit writing to that of one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. One of those things where you read or listen & just marvel at "how did they come up with that??".
In Taylor's case I love lore behind her songs, like the scarf. Or Dear John, and then John's reply with his song Paper Dolls. As listener & lover of music, it's great fun! Anyway, the business side of this situation with Taylor is interesting but sad, and glad you explained some of it because I didn't know any of this.
It would be strange to me to create something entirely on my own & then have absolutely no control over it, as if I have no say in the matter. But good or bad or unfair, I understand that's the business side of it, unfortunately.
I saw John Fogerty perform at Ravinia last summer and one of the first things he said was that after 50 years, he finally now owns all those CCR songs he wrote way back then. Also, wasn't it John Prine who started his own label and started re-recording his original songs and putting them out on new albums? He was fed up with the majors.
For every artist that got screwed by a label, her rerecording the albums giving them the finger was brilliant! Rick you should have her on your channel some time.
I now have such immense respect for Taylor Swift after hearing this! She’s such as bad ass! Artists sweat and toil for years and then they get so screwed but folks in the industry that without these artists would be nothing!!!
Taylor is a badass artist that many independent musicians can learn a lot from. Taylor pitched a shutout against the former manager trying to play her. I knew she was a sharp disciplined Businesswomen when she accepted only a $1 against the creep that assaulted her to make a strong point. Slam Duck! Much props to Taylor for continued success.
Yeah, I've admired her since she really gave it to the weaselly attorney who tried to outsmart her in court. Her exchanges with him in court are priceless.
Just to be clear, Scooter Braun never managed her. It's possible that he was angling to become her manager, and that buying her masters was part of that play, but Taylor hasn't had a manager since 2008, when her manager Rick Barker realized that he wouldn't have time to both manage her properly and raise his family. Coincidentally that was also soon after she turned 18 so she was able to found her own management company (13 Management).
I'm sure that her knowing her music, how to play instruments and wrote and arrange songs helped a whole bunch.
Taylor and Rick TWO CLASS ACTS!!!!! Keep up the great work !!!!!