The more this story morphs, the more I think of the scene in Woody Allen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Love and Death when his character needs to travel to Minsk. \u00c2\u00a0When his carriage is leaving, the village idiot hitches a ride. \u00c2\u00a0When they get to Minsk, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big banner “Welcome Village Idiots”. \u00c2\u00a0Those already there are wearing dunce caps and dancing in the town square.<\/p>\n
This is a perfect metaphor for the preposterous kerfuffle on Taylor and the sale of Big Machine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s masters (yes, people, she never owned them).<\/p>\n
As one of your oldest readers, I feel the onus of reminding your readers that the consolidation of the record business from hundreds of labels to two and a half majors means that HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of artist masters have been sold to third parties. \u00c2\u00a0Can any of your readers (or Taylor Swift fans) name one artist who complained that selling their CREATIVE work caused them a hysterical and public nervous breakdown?<\/p>\n
I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen one comment mention that screenwriters have to transfer ownership of their creative work in perpetuity to movie studios, including sequels, remakes, merchandising, AND the rights to all the characters in the script.<\/p>\n
Remember that Taylor had three ways to get back her masters: 1. resigning with Big Machine, 2. \u00c2\u00a0buying Big Machine and 3. \u00c2\u00a0exercising her termination rights under copyright law.<\/p>\n
The narrative by Taylor has been disingenuous, malicious, and at odds with industry practice since the late 1800\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n
I am reminded of the schmuck with earlaps, Donald Trump, who lost the election and simply created a false narrative that it had been stolen from him.<\/p>\n
Of course, Trump\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lies are a lot more consequential than Taylor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s but hers still trouble me. \u00c2\u00a0Hey, Tay, the underdog role doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fit well and, oh, by the way, your new record company is now 20% owned by a hedge fund but you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mentioned that.<\/p>\n
Lance Grode<\/p>\n
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Hi Bob – Long time listener, first time caller. I have enjoyed your newsletter for several years and have often resisted the urge to reply. For context – I am a 45 yr old white male who is not a long-time Taylor fan. I do however appreciate that she is extremely talented. Like many others, Folklore touched me and I thought the songwriting was deeply\u00c2\u00a0compelling. It was absolutely\u00c2\u00a0the right album at the right time for me.<\/p>\n
The amount of negativity that your original post has generated is truly sad. Of all the terrible things in the world today, this is what we have time to rail against? Despite the massive talent of those who replied, much of the rhetoric came off as extremely tone deaf. I get this may be Marketing, but she could certainly\u00c2\u00a0be using influence and time in much worse ways. Maybe this is what Taylor has been fighting against all along?<\/p>\n
Feel free to ignore. I am just a “nobody” who thinks it’s disturbing\u00c2\u00a0how much our society continues to be threatened by a young woman with power…<\/p>\n
Tim Hussey<\/p>\n
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I just listened to the new Taylor Swift recording with my 16 year old daughter who is a big fan. I think the new versions sound great and they are not exactly the same as the originals. You can hear the confidence of a more mature artist who is much more comfortable with herself and is making these recordings with joy. I applaud her efforts to take control of her material and as an early skeptic of her music I have come to appreciate what she does and how much she has grown. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what being an artist is, the freedom to grow, change, and express your unique vision of the world. I believe we should celebrate any artist having more control on how their music is presented.<\/p>\n
Joe Fletcher<\/p>\n
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Wow, Bob. I can not believe that all these old white guys feel authorized to express their opinions, which nobody cares about but other old white guys, about a young artist who has proved her exceptional talent again and again and has the balls go to up against Scooter and the other robber barons who expected her to give up after they gleefully fucked her over. \u00c2\u00a0Any man who had his music stolen by an arrogant dick at a record company would come out guns blazing\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhy do men disparage a female artist for trying to get hers? And what have any of these guys ever done that was even close to comparable to Taylor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s achievements? Not a thing, guaranteed.
\nHonestly, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a Taylor fan, but the comments in this column made me so mad that now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to buy the rerelease.<\/p>\n
Bonnie Hayes<\/p>\n
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A few mentioned catching lightening in a bottle with the originals and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so true. \u00c2\u00a0The re-recordings are done in spite and not for artistry.\u00c2\u00a0Imagine if Springsteen had re-recorded the first 3 LPs after settling with Mike Appel. Would never had been the same…especially on\u00c2\u00a0Born To Run. I believe Max Weinberg said he still can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t match Ernest Boom Carter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s drums on the title track. \u00c2\u00a0And what did El Jefe do at his RRHOF induction? He invited Appel to the soir\u00c3\u00a9e since he knows without Appel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guerilla management he would not be where he is now.<\/p>\n
T-Swiz\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deal seems to be about ownership and licensing with her fans a lower priority. Yeah she will says it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about her fans but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about the wallet. I fear now we will have her songs shoved down our throats in commercials and films. Lastly i do hope the producers and original studio musicians get their due cut on this. They made that original so-called lightening in a bottle.<\/p>\n
Brian Helgesen
\nPhilly PA<\/p>\n
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I’ve read through the many comments about TS’s re-records and feel compelled to say how disappointing it is that the business of music has become more important than the music itself. It degrades us.<\/p>\n
There’s always a deal to be made and there is no “standard deal”. We are in the information age. No reason exists why TS couldn’t have participated in the capital liquidation of her BM master recordings and\/or been granted an administrative right over their ongoing use.<\/p>\n
This binary all or nothing, I either own or don’t own my masters bullshit, belies the enormous hard work of many people whose participation matters in creation of any real success and reiterates the historical lack of vision by industry executives. \u00c2\u00a0This entire shit show is about juvenile egos and their continued focus which diminishes our entire industry.<\/p>\n
-Tony Gottlieb<\/p>\n
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re-interpretations are the norm in classical and jazz. Are the ‘original’ versions of pop songs inherently better because of a listener’s emotional attachment to them?<\/p>\n
Taylor notwithstanding, maybe an artist has something further to contribute a few years down the line. Consider Kate Bush re-recording ‘Wuthering Heights’<\/p>\n
And if you don’t like it, fine. Don’t listen!<\/p>\n
sofu_gan<\/p>\n
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I have no dog in this fight, but out of sheer curiosity I listened and compared. Yuk. Just yuk. The re-recordings remind me of those science fiction movies, where a human is cloned but has no soul inside them\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.and in just the same way as Frankenstein’s monster, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually kind of grotesque, in terms of artistry. I understand why she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing it, but come on.. it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s totally nuts as far as the fans are concerned. The fans don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t benefit, they lose, because Taylor is\u00c2\u00a0now about to go about recording and selling a huge body of music with no soul, because as you rightly point out Bob: ‘you cannot capture lightning twice\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. And now on YouTube there are lyric versions entitled ‘Taylor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Version\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, but the real truth is that these aren’t\u00c2\u00a0purely ‘Taylor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s versions\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re actually a Xerox of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTaylor AND\u00c2\u00a0Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00c2\u00a0version (her co-producer on the originals). So if this is all about \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcintellectual property\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, I sure hope Nathan Chapman is being looked after, and receiving producer royalties, because the original \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclightning in a bottle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that was captured and made her a global and rich mega star, is actually half Nathan’s. And if I were him, I would be really saddened by this, because the two of them really did capture some magic and record it. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t respect Taylor for doing this, because the art should always come before the money\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 which she already has plenty of. Ok, so she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pissed off at a record company\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 WHO ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T?!?!<\/p>\n
Simon Hosford.<\/p>\n
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Might be time to issue a retraction or apologize.\u00c2\u00a0 It doesn’t even matter if she’s worth 400 million. The money has nothing to do with it although it means most of the world disagrees with you. Listen to Fearless (Taylor’s version) and then rethink everything you thought you knew. She was young. And raw. I’m a singer and when you can’t hear yourself on stage it makes for what you heard at the grammys. But now is 31. And clearly been working on her voice since your words took hold of her. As a fan of hers I might even give you credit for changing her. But whatever you think of her voice she is a talented soprano with a low range that most sopranos do not have. And a talent for writing that even you wish you had. So no, you aren’t an asshole. Mean.. maybe or just honest. 16 year old Taylor doesn’t exist anymore. That Taylor is dead. This one is a woman with a voice…maybe one that deserves you giving her another listen.<\/p>\n
Steve Brown<\/p>\n
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I completely agree with Thomas Flood\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s statement that this is a canny business maneuver and not particularly about the art. Taylor will own new versions of her earlier works that will \u00e2\u20ac\u0153compete\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 with the previous versions for commercial use, streams, etc. devaluing the earlier catalog. I suspect that fact was considered by Scooter and it may have motivated him to move the catalog quickly to a private equity owner. Taylor Swift is first and foremost an astute businessperson.<\/p>\n
Bob Cavalieri<\/p>\n
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It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about licensing and owning your own material.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good business.<\/p>\n
Ron Stone<\/p>\n
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The letters reminded me of Richard Hell’s multiple efforts to revise his second album,\u00c2\u00a0Destiny Street.\u00c2\u00a0Unhappy with the original engineering (as well as his drug-impaired musical contributions), and with the masters thought to be lost, he used a cassette of the rhythm tracks and re-recorded everything else for\u00c2\u00a0Destiny Street Repaired. The results might not satisfy those who internalized the original, but given the market in which the album operates, it was clearly an artist revising for art’s sake, rather than for cash. Many years later, three of the four multitrack master reels were found, and Hell remixed them into\u00c2\u00a0Destiny Street Remixed, and released the results alongside the original and the\u00c2\u00a0Repaired\u00c2\u00a0edition as\u00c2\u00a0Destiny Street Complete,\u00c2\u00a0along with added demos. The package is interestingly satisfying as an artist’s aural essay of his early work and later maturity.<\/p>\n
hyperbolium<\/p>\n
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I’m not familiar with any of Taylor Swift’s output, so I googled up this youtube comparison of Love Story<\/p>\n
2008 and 2021.<\/p>\n