On 12th February 2021, Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ was number 1 in Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Now, that’s a sight I never thought I would see post-2008/2009, yet here we are. However, this time it is different – it’s ‘Taylor’s Version’. Swift has redefined the narrative which currently surrounds her music: she officially owns this track’s masters, unlike her original 2008 version, & is receiving the royalties she rightly deserves from the music she created.
In 2004, Taylor Swift (only fourteen at the time!) signed a record deal with music label Big Machine Records, giving them ownership of the master recordings to her first six albums in exchange for a cash advance. Whoever owns the ‘masters’ to a song or album holds the legal rights to license that music to TV shows, films, advertisements & so on. They control the licensing revenue & the financial gains of the artist’s work, without having to pay them a penny. This is despite the fact the owners typically have no involvement in the creative process. By signing a talented yet naïve young woman, Scott Borchetta (the then-head of Big Machine) would’ve known that he could exploit Swift by giving her what every aspiring artist dreams of – a chance. It’s a tale as old as time: money-hungry producers luring young artists into signing legally-binding contracts without any knowledge of what it means (for just one example, see Lou Pearlman & the Backstreet Boys & N-sync).
In November 2018, Taylor Swift left Big Machine Records & signed with Universal Music Group. Swift took to Tumblr in June 2019 & claimed in her open-letter exposé that “for years [she] asked, pleaded for a chance to own [her] own work”. It is no secret that Swift believes very strongly that artists should own their own work, & now we know why. In response to her pleas, Big Machine Record stated she could only ‘earn’ her albums back one by one for each new album she produced with the label (beginning a never-ending cycle – a portion of Swift’s catalogue would, under this proposed contract, be perpetually owned by Big Machine).
This blackmailing technique is extremely problematic. It not only perpetuates the narrative that artists do not deserve the same opportunities as those who hold ‘conventional jobs’ within creative industries, but also proves that patriarchy-enabled power plays are a very dark reality within the back-rooms of the music industry.
Borchetta sold Big Machine Records to Scooter Braun, who Swift has accused of “incessant, manipulative bullying” over the years. She also maintains that Borchetta knew of this mistreatment: “any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to.” Braun has since threatened to stop Swift from performing her own songs, & has sold “100%” of her lifetime achievements, including music, videos, & album art, to another record label without her knowledge, despite Swift actively trying to buy back her masters from Braun.
Taylor revealed that one unnegotiable condition upon Scooter Braun even considering entering negotiations with her would be if she signed an NDA stating that in the future she would only publicly talk about Scooter in a ‘positive light’. Effectively, Braun would succeed in silencing Swift without guaranteeing her even the chance to bid for the ownership of her own work. Swift summarised the entire situation perfectly: “the message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl & shut up. Or you’ll be punished.”
Two grown men have teamed up to steal a woman’s voice, whether it be through her craft or her public opinion. This only reinforces the regressive notion that women should be ‘seen & not heard’, even when they’re one of the most successful businesswomen alive. Taylor Swift is a woman who exudes confidence & grace, but is also a woman who has been continuously attacked by men throughout her entire career (Kanye West, Justin Bieber, etc), & for what?
Are we still threatened by powerful & hard-working women in the 21st century?
So what now? Swift has stated that “it pains (her) deeply to remain separated from the music she created over a decade creating” & therefore is re-recording her first five albums! She will be starting with ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’, which will be released on 9th April 2021.
Swift has always owned the publishing rights to her music, but by re-recording, she owns both the publishing & masters rights. This will ultimately diminish the value of her old recordings, but will empower her in being able to license her own work where & however she pleases, as well as control her work’s financial gains.
Swift’s story is very telling of our society’s approach to women in a male-dominated industry. It’s scary that a lifetime of work can be taken so easily from a person & they must remain complicit due to a contract signed by their 14-year-old self, over 15 years ago. But Swift’s ownership of her situation is inspiring, brave & hopefully paves the way for other female artists who have been overshadowed or threatened by patriarchal greed within the music industry.
Words By: Anna Duffell
Edited by: Megan Clayton