unfortunately, this blog will not encompass the lyrical masterpiece that is the fifth track of rascal flatts’ “feels like today” 2015 album; it will actually be about the tragedy that came from a former racecar driver’s dream: big machine records (and the cuffs they keep their clients in).
scott borchetta founded big machine records in 2005, but not before he approached taylor swift in a cafe in nashville, offering her a place on the roster of the record label he was about to begin. taylor swift was the first person signed with big machine records, and 15 years later, this decision proved to be two pivotal moments of her career at once.
first, the basics. ownership of creative property is a little bit tricky, especially in the music industry, so:
- artists own all of the technical components of their music – the lyrics, the instrumental, and everything in-between. they are theirs to use as they please, because they created these specific aspects.
- record labels own anything that was released under their label name: any recordings and remixes that say “big machine records” are legally owned by big machine records, and they profit from the royalties.
what this means for taylor swift:
- everything she’s written from her debut album through reputation is hers. she owns the lyrics and all of the technical components.
- big machine records owns what is called the “master recordings” of these albums – every track that’s played on the radio, signed to a movie or tv show, or streamed on a service.
anyone who doesn’t live under a rock is well aware of the ongoing feud between kanye west and taylor swift, but… what you may not know is kanye’s association with a man named scooter braun. kanye and scooter have been friends for a while, and scooter even worked for kanye there for a time, but even after the employment was terminated, they remained industry friends. based on all of the context clues, it’s safe to assume scooter and taylor don’t get along well, especially not where kanye is involved.
for quite some time as her career has skyrocketed, taylor has wanted to buy back her master recordings from her original record label. in 2014, she brought this proposition to big machine records, and they gave her an ultimatum: they will grant her immediate ownership of her master recordings…. if she signs a contract to stay with the label for 10 more years. this doesn’t seem like a half-bad idea, until you do a little more digging.
at the same time taylor’s proposal was being considered, big machine records was up for sale. taking into account her place as a prominent artist, it would not benefit taylor to sign 10 years of her future to a buyer she doesn’t even know. she declined the offer.
as it turns out, who else would end up buying the label but the infamous scooter braun – the one who teamed up with kanye to ruin taylor’s career before? and in that moment, every master recording that taylor swift had produced under big machine records lied in the hands of someone who had previously tried to ruin her career.
as the powerhouse woman she is, taylor decided to tell her fans exactly what happened and exactly how she would handle it. thus, the announcement of her re-recordings.
taylor swift will be re-recording all 6 albums: debut, fearless, speak now, red, 1989, and reputation; though not in that order. if all goes well, these releases will be treated as the master recordings, so not to give scooter braun any recognition for taylor’s success. they will also be released as “taylor’s version” of every song, and the existence of any other version will be promptly eliminated from loyal fans’ minds.
until we meet again… on april 9th… when i cry listening to white horse – taylor’s version.
We stand powerful women. I hope everything goes well for her.