For fans and followers of Taylor Swift (or as they call themselves, “Swifties”), last Friday marked the momentous re-release of her 2012 album, “Red (Taylor’s Version), featuring new recordings of the album’s anthems, including “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
The original Red was Swift’s fourth studio album, released on October 22, 2012, with the record label Big Machine Records. The album encompassed influences from a range of music genres and marked Swift’s pivotal transition from country to mainstream pop. Captured through 16 songs, the album’s thematic elements surround the complexity of a romantic relationship.
Following the success of its preceding albums Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now, Red topped the US Billboard 200 for seven consecutive weeks, and was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album was widely well-received by critics and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2013 Country Music Association Awards, and for Album of the Year and Best Country Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Soon after, Swift released a deluxe edition of the album with an additional six tracks.
When Swift left Big Machine Records in 2018 to sign on with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records, she left her music from 2006-2018 in the ownership of her former label. Swift attributed this switch in part to the opportunity through Republic Records to retain ownership of her masters beginning in 2018, which was not the case under Big Machine Records. According to Swift, she was only offered the rights to her masters if she signed a new contract with Big Machine to earn her old albums back one at a time for every new album she released.
In 2019, a holding group led by talent manager Scooter Braun acquired Swift’s former label, Big Machine Records, which gave him control over her masters. Swift immediately took to social media to publicly dispute his ownership of her music, following years of allegations by the singer/songwriter against Braun and his clients for “incessant, manipulative bullying.”
Braun was interlaced in a years-long feud between Swift and rapper Kanye West, which started when West interrupted Swift’s 2009 MTV Music Awards Speech. West apologized for his behavior in a blog post, but seven years later released the track “Famous,” in which he raps “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.” In the music video that accompanied the track, West depicted a naked mockup of Swift along with other celebrities, lying in bed with him. Swift’s representatives denied ever giving approval for the line “I made that bitch famous,” calling the video “revenge porn.”
In response, Kim Kardashian West posted recordings of a phone call between West and Swift about the song, citing it as proof of Taylor’s permission for the lyrics. According to Swift, the conversation was “illegally recorded.”
Soon after, singer Justin Bieber posted a screenshot of a FaceTime call with West, Braun, and two others, along with the caption “Taylor what up” to his Instagram.
Years later, when Braun made the acquisition of Big Machine Records, Swift reposted Bieber’s 2016 Instagram post to her Tumblr with Braun’s head circled, writing: “This is Scooter Braun, bullying me on social media when I was at my lowest point. He’s about to own all the music I’ve ever made.”
Bieber released a statement denying that Braun was involved in the 2016 Instagram that Swift referenced in her Tumblr post.
As celebrities took sides, Swifties took to social media, spreading the hashtag #WeStandWithTaylor as well as a petition urging Swift to re-record her albums. Though unable to buy her music back, re-recording them would devalue the original albums, reducing Braun’s control over her work and giving her ownership of the re-recorded music.
On February 11, 2021, Swift announced her re-release of her 2008 album Fearless (Taylor’s Version), which was released on April 9. Fearless debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first re-recorded album to ever hit No. 1 in the chart’s history. Two months later on June 18, Swift announced that she would be re-releasing Red (Taylor’s Version) on November 12.
Red (Taylor’s Version) includes nine unreleased songs From The Vault in addition to the 22 tracks on the 2012 Red (Deluxe Edition) album. Running at a total of two hours and ten minutes, Swift’s re-recorded album is a nostalgic but mature version of its original.
Swift publicized the re-release of her album through appearances on SNL, The Tonight Show, and Late Night, as well as through her debut short film “All Too Well.” Written and directed by Swift and set to the newly released “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” the film stars actors Sadie Sink and Dylan O-Brien who portray lovers in a failing relationship. On November 15th, Swift released a music video to the track “I Bet You Think About Me (feat. Chris Stapleton) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” written and directed in collaboration with Blake Lively.
The re-released album received gushing praise from critics, described by Rolling Stone as the “ultimate version of her most gloriously ambitious mega-pop manifesto.” However, its release represents a much larger success than simply as a well-received album: Red (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s triumph over the battle to gain ownership of her own work.
During her interview appearance on The Late Night Show, Swift detailed her experience fighting for the rights to her masters.
“Years ago, I made it very clear that I wanted to buy my music. That opportunity was not given to me and it was sold to someone else,” she recounted.
Swift is far from alone in her struggle; an artist’s lack of ownership over their work is the overwhelming reality of the music industry. Traditionally, music labels rather than individual artists own the masters. Artists typically sign over their ownership rights, and in exchange are given an advance and a royalty percentage after earning the advance back. In the short term, this can allow an upstart musician to launch a career, but in the long term that artist loses any control over what is done with their music.
“You probably don’t know, but most of your favorite artists do not own their own work,” said Swift in her interview.
However, in recent years, the music industry has seen a shift, as more artists have begun to push for more autonomy over their music. According to Popsugar, new contracts giving larger royalties or that allow for the reversion of the ownership of a master to the artist are gaining popularity. Swift’s new partnership with Republic Records, for example, gives her ownership over her masters from 2018 onwards. Additionally, some musicians such as Jay Z, Rihanna, and Frank Ocean are among the growing number of those who have bought back their own masters.
“Red (Taylor’s Version)” is truly a groundbreaking album, not just because of its musical content, but because of its trailblazing significance as a symbol of the shifting music industry to meet the demands of artists fighting to retain the ownership of their work. Through both her album and her battle, Swift ushers in a “golden age of something good and right and real.”
