Taylor Swift, ever the ambitious pop star, is embarking on what’s probably her wildest project to date—rerecording six of her nine albums entirely from scratch. It kinda goes without saying that the rerecording process will be an arduous task, but I’m sure Tay would love any opportunity to laugh in the face of Scooter Braun for thinking he could purchase her masters and get away with it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But one major question remains: Is it actually possible for Taylor to rerecord most of her catalogue? And could she get into legal or financial trouble for trying? The answers to your most pressing Swiftie questions, below.
So how many songs does Taylor need to rerecord?
Well, if you tally up all the songs and bonus tracks from Taylor’s self-titled debut album, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation—excluding live versions, demo versions, and voice memos, mind you—that’s a little more than 100 songs Taylor has to breathe new life into. But considering she put out Folklore and Evermore back-to-back earlier this year, followed quickly by her Fearless hit “Love Story,” I have no doubt that’ll be a breeze for Tay.
How much will rerecording cost Taylor?
Multimillionaire Taylor likely isn’t too worried about the financial cost of reproducing her old works, but there still is one. “While an aggressive rerecording effort would be driven by principle, not money, there are nonetheless still economic considerations,” music lawyer James Sammataro told Rolling Stone. “There is the cost of production—admittedly, a drop in the bucket.” There’s also a licensing fee, but that should be no biggie.
Are there any legal blocks Taylor might run into?
Short answer: It depends on how the new songs sound. According to TMZ, Big Machine Records has an “original production clause.” This clause essentially prohibits Taylor from making her forthcoming songs sound exactly like the original versions, so to compensate, Taylor will need to make sure her new recordings sound distinguishable from her older ones to avoid any legal probs.
Final Q! Can Taylor *really* do this?
She sure can! Taylor has (impressively) written the vast majority of her songs solo since the release of her debut album, so rerecording will be a snap because she doesn’t have to worry about drama on the copyright and publishing side of things. Per Rolling Stone, Taylor will not have to ask for permission from Liz Rose (cowriter on Tay’s self-titled album and Fearless) or Nathan Chapman (one of Tay’s longtime producers) to rerecord either. To sum it up, Tay looks good to go!
All that said, I cannot wait to sink my teeth into Red (Taylor’s Version), which just dropped today. My wallet—and ears!—are ready.
Red (Taylor's Version) - Vinyl
Red (Taylor's Version) - Vinyl
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You love all the deets on Taylor. So do we! Let’s overanalyze them together.
FAQs
Taylor Swift doesn't own the specific recordings of those songs that were released in her earlier albums—she sold those rights to her label—but she still owns the songs themselves, so she can still make new recordings of them.
What happened with Taylor Swift's first 6 albums? ›
Her first six albums' master recordings were acquired by famed talent manager Scooter Braun when he bought Taylor's former label. Since then, her masters have changed hands, with investment firm Shamrock Capital taking over.
How many rerecorded albums does Taylor Swift have? ›
The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has released 10 original studio albums, 4 re-recorded studio albums, 5 extended plays, and 4 live albums. She has sold an estimated 114 million album units worldwide and, in terms of pure sales, tallied 46.6 million in the United States and 7 million in the United Kingdom.
Is Taylor Swift a billionaire? ›
Swift's inclusion comes after Forbes declared the singer a billionaire in October 2023 and reported her net worth at $1.1 billion. In a rare feat, Swift is the first musician to reach the milestone solely from songwriting and performing.
What was unusual about Taylor Swift's first album? ›
Taylor Swift made her the first female solo artist in country music to write or co-write every song on a platinum-certified debut album. Its production laid the groundwork to Swift's subsequent country-pop discography, whose chart success straddled the perceived boundary between the two genres.
What is the most unpopular Taylor Swift album? ›
"Taylor Swift" is widely regarded as Swift's worst album, but that's only because all her albums are good. Something has to be the "worst" — that's how rankings work — and "Taylor Swift" is often overlooked, being the singer's first and most rudimentary work.
Why did Taylor Swift have to rerecord her albums? ›
She is doing so in an effort to 'reclaim' ownership of copyright in the master recordings of her musical works, following their sale by her former management company to an industry executive for $300 million in 2019 . Copyright owners have exclusive rights and can authorise others to reproduce their works.
How many boyfriends has Taylor Swift had? ›
Out of Taylor Swift's exes, her relationship with Joe Alwyn was the longest (7 years). How many boyfriends has Taylor Swift had? Taylor Swift has 12 publicly known exes.
How many cats does Taylor Swift have? ›
The pop star is a package deal with her three cats, named Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button. The feline trio often make appearances in social media posts, public outings, ads and music videos. One of them joined her in the photoshoot for her TIME Person of the Year cover in 2023.
What records has Taylor Swift broken? ›
Taylor Swift holds many accolades to her name, some of her biggest records are: She is the only artist with four Album of The Year wins at the Grammys. First female artist to have 10 singles with more than 1 Billion streams each.
The estimated earnings for backup dancers during Taylor Swift's Eras tour ranged between $1,200 and $2,500 per show. However, it's essential to recognize that the salaries for backup dancers exhibit variability, influenced by factors such as location, the nature of the tour, and other pertinent considerations.
What does Taylor Swift do with all her money? ›
Now, the “Anti-Hero” singer definitely puts her hard-earned wealth to personal use. She's spent hundreds of millions of dollars on properties in New York City, California, Nashville, Rhode Island and more. She frequently travels via private jet, reportedly owning not just one, but two Dassault Falcon aircrafts.
Is Taylor Swift the youngest billionaire? ›
Daughters of the late Korean gaming mogul Kim Jung-ju, founder of Nexon, were named among the world's youngest billionaires by Forbes, with each estimated to have a net worth higher than pop star Taylor Swift.
What song made Taylor Swift famous? ›
The lead single from Swift's 2006 self-titled debut album, "Tim McGraw", was her first Billboard Hot 100 chart entry. Her second studio album, Fearless (2008), spawned two international top-10 singles—"Love Story" (her first number one in Australia) and "You Belong with Me".
What is Taylor Swift's least listened to album? ›
Taylor Swift's least popular album, in terms of critical and commercial reception, is generally considered to be her self-titled debut album, "Taylor Swift," released in 2006. While it helped establish her career as a country-pop artist, it received relatively less attention compared to her subsequent albums.
When did Taylor Swift come out? ›
Taylor then started working on her debut album and persuaded Big Machine to hire Nathan Chapman to produce her songs. Her first lead single “Tim McGraw” was released in June 2006, and Taylor Swift's self titled album was released later that year, on October 24, 2006.
What is the difference between 1989 and 1989 Taylor's version? ›
Music and lyrics
Various critics have opined that the only sonic difference between 1989 and 1989 (Taylor's Version) is Swift's vocals, which have become technically stronger and richer. According to Clash's Alex Berry, the re-recording has a "cleaner" instrumentation.
Who did Taylor Swift lose album of the year to? ›
In 2014, Swift's “Red” lost the award to Daft Punk's “Random Access Memories,” and in 2022 “Evermore” lost to Batiste's “We Are.”
Why did Taylor Swift leave Spotify? ›
Here are some of the issues the Taylor Swift had: Spotify pays artists royalties based on their share of total streams on the platform. At the time in 2014, Spotify royalty rates were considered low, averaging around $0.006 to $0.0084 per stream. Swift was unhappy with how little Spotify pays artists.
What's the deal with Taylor's version? ›
Taylor's Version in a song means Taylor owns the song and gets the money from them, in simple words. Taylor doesn't own her first six albums. (Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation- which were all made when she was signed to Big Machine) They're owned by a Scooter Braun, and all the money goes to him.
