WHETHER you listen to Taylor Swift or not, you’ve probably heard that she re-records and re-releases all of her original records.
The reason she’s doing this has a lot to do with a long-running feud between Taylor, a man named Scott Borchetta, and a man named Scooter Braun.
How did the beef between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun start?
Complications between Scooter Braun and Taylor Swift began, in part, because of a man named Scott Borchetta.
Borchetta owned Big Machine Records, with whom Taylor first signed as an artist when she was 15.
Taylor was Big Machine Records’ first client, and many others have followed in his footsteps.
Taylor decided after her sixth studio album, Reputation, that she would sign her future music to Republic Records and Universal Music Group.
They had made a deal for her that she would possess all of her future masters, which Borchetta had not.
Taylor left Big Machine Records on good terms with Borchetta until mid-2019.
In June 2019, a man named Scooter Braun bought Big Machine Records for $300 million, which included the masters of Taylor’s first six albums.
Taylor alleged Scooter Braun bullied and manipulated her for years, including through her client Kanye West’s release of the song Famous.
What caused the escalation between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun?
As with any beef, there are several moving parts in this story.
In August 2019, Taylor announced on Good Morning America that she would be re-recording her albums, which her contract would allow her to do beginning in 2020.
In November 2019, Taylor Swift was to be named Artist of the Decade at the American Music Awards, where she wanted to perform a medley of her music, including many songs from her first six albums.
She claimed Scott and Scooter wouldn’t approve of her, nor would they approve of her use of recordings for her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana.
Scott and Scooter eventually said they would allow Taylor to play some of her songs if she agreed not to re-record the albums and if she stopped talking to the press about it.
Taylor reached out to her fans for help, and through the power of social media, the duo finally agreed to let her sing her songs live, as long as Scooter was still in charge of her masters (ie. say where and when one of its recordings or visuals was used).
Taylor showed up to perform wearing a large white shirt with the names of her first six albums written on it.
How did Taylor Swift react to Scooter buying her masters?
Shortly after the acquisition, Taylor wrote a letter to her fans on Tumblr.
She said she had tried to convince Borchetta to buy back his music for years and instead he only offered her deals that included buying one of his existing records with a future release.
She said, “I left because I knew that once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, selling me and my future.”
“I had to make the excruciating choice to leave my past behind.”
“Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for with money I made playing bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.”
Who Owns Taylor Swift’s Albums Now?
Taylor announced in August 2019 that she intended to re-record her old music, which she would then have full ownership of.
In December 2022, Taylor re-released two old albums, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version).
Lawyer and YouTube sensation Leeja Miller explained how Taylor can re-record the music if it technically belongs to someone else.
Leeja said, “So because she’s the songwriter, she still owns the copyright to that music, she just doesn’t own the copyright to that particular version of the song.”
“So she can now go on and re-record those songs on her own, and own the masters, and then she’ll own the new recordings.”