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Draft:Taylor's Version

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"Taylor's Version" is a phrase used to denote the re‐recorded albums and songs by the American singer–songwriter Taylor Swift. These re-recordings are undertaken to gain full ownership of her earlier musical catalog, which was originally released through Big Machine Records. The phrase "(Taylor's Version)" appended to song and album titles serves to indicate that these are new recordings owned by Swift, and also to differentiate them from the original versions, thereby avoiding potential trademark issues.[1][2][3]

The re-recording project encompasses Swift's first six studio albums: Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017). Four albums have been re-recorded and released: Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) in 2021, and Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version) in 2023. Each re-recorded album includes the tracklist of the original studio album along with previously unreleased songs subtitled "From the Vault", which were written during the original album's era but did not make the final cut.[4][5][6]

The "Taylor's Version" initiative has achieved significant commercial and critical success, often surpassing the performance of the original albums and setting new industry records. It has also sparked widespread discussion within the music industry regarding artist rights, intellectual property, and contractual agreements.

Background

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Further information: Taylor Swift masters dispute

Taylor Swift signed her first recording contract with Big Machine Records in 2005 at the age of 15. Under this standard industry agreement, Big Machine Records gained ownership of the master recordings for her first six albums. Swift, however, retained her publishing rights as the songwriter. In 2019, after Swift's contract with Big Machine ended in 2018, the label, including the masters of her first six albums, was sold to music executive Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings LLC for an estimated $300 million. Swift stated that she was not given the opportunity to purchase her masters outright and only learned of the sale when it was made public. She described the sale as her "worst-case scenario" due to a contentious relationship with Braun. This situation prompted Swift to announce her intention to re-record her catalog in August 2019, with the legal ability to begin re-recording in November 2020. She signed a new deal with Republic Records (Universal Music Group) that ensured her ownership of future masters.[7][8] The re-recording project thus emerged not merely as a business transaction, but as a direct response to a fundamental challenge to artistic autonomy, highlighting how a perceived injustice can serve as a powerful catalyst for strategic and industry-altering moves. Furthermore, the precise timing of Swift's re-recording announcement and initiation, following the expiration of a "re-recording restriction clause" in her original contract, demonstrates a deliberate and legally informed strategy.[7][4][8]

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U.S. copyright law protects musical works through two distinct copyrights: publishing rights (for the composition, lyrics, and melodies) and master recording rights (for the specific recorded sound).[1] The songwriter, in Swift's case, typically owns the publishing rights, granting them control over the underlying musical work.[7] Record labels, however, often own the master recording rights, which are the copyrights to the actual sound recordings, allowing them to control reproduction, distribution, and licensing of that specific recorded performance.[9] Swift's ability to re-record her songs without infringing on the original masters stems from Section 114(b) of the Copyright Act of 1976.[1] This provision states that the exclusive rights of a sound recording copyright owner do not extend to the creation or duplication of another sound recording that consists entirely of an independent fixation of other sounds, even though those sounds imitate or simulate the original.[7] Essentially, as long as Swift created new recordings from scratch, rather than duplicating the original masters, she was legally permitted to do so because she owned the composition rights.[1] This legal "loophole" was crucial for her strategy.[8]

Standard recording contracts often include "re-recording restriction clauses" that prevent artists from creating new versions of their songs for a defined period.[10] These clauses are designed to protect the record label's investment in the original recordings by preventing unwanted competition.[11] Traditionally, these restrictions last for five to seven years from the initial release of an album or two years after the contract expires.[10] Once this period expires, artists are legally free to re-record their compositions.[9] Re-recording music is not a new concept, with historical examples demonstrating various motivations for artists to re-record their work.[12]

Albums released

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Swift has systematically re-recorded and released four of her first six albums, subtitling the album "(Taylor's Version)" to their titles to signify her ownership.[2] These releases include "From the Vault" tracks—songs written during the original album's era but previously unreleased.[13] She began releasing her re-recorded music in 2021. The re-recorded albums and songs are identified by the note "(Taylor's Version)" added to all of their titles, to distinguish them from the older recordings.[14]

In February 2021, Swift announced that she had finished re-recording Fearless and released "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", a re-recording of the album's lead single "Love Story", on February 12.[15] Fearless (Taylor's Version) was released on April 9 to rave reviews from music critics, who praised Swift's move to re-record her music, viewing it as an act of preservation of artists' rights.[16][17][18] On September 15, following a viral TikTok trend involving "Wildest Dreams" (2015) that was gaining traction, the older recording of the song accumulated 735,000 plays on Spotify, marking the highest single-day streams ever for the song on the streaming platform. On September 17, Swift teased the re-recorded song's bridge as part of the said trend with a snippet on TikTok, captioning "if you guys want to use my version of wildest dreams for the slow zoom trend, here she is!". "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" was subsequently released to streaming platforms. Swift stated that she saw "Wildest Dreams" trending on TikTok and thought fans should have "[her] version" of the song.[19][20] In its first four hours of availability, "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" amassed 2,003,391 Spotify streams, breaking the record the older "Wildest Dreams" had set a few days prior.[21]

On November 12, 2021, Swift released Red (Taylor's Version), the re-recorded issue of Red, consisting of all 30 songs that were originally meant for the 2012 version.[22] The album broke several sales, streaming, and chart records,[23][24] and was met with widespread acclaim,[25] becoming her highest-rated album by critics on Metacritic.[26] Its closing track, "All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)", scored Swift the eighth Billboard Hot 100 number-one song of her career and garnered the Guinness World Record for the longest song ever to top the chart.[27] The song's producer Jack Antonoff told Rolling Stone that a 10-minute-long song topping the Hot 100 teaches artists to "not listen" to what the industry has to say.[28] "This Love (Taylor's Version)", a track from 1989 (Taylor's Version), was released on May 6, 2022.[29] In September 2022, Swift reportedly turned down an offer to headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in 2023, refusing to play the show until her re-recording process is finished.[30]

In March 2023, ahead of the Eras Tour, Swift released a re-recording of the Speak Now deluxe edition track "If This Was a Movie", along with re-recordings of "Safe & Sound" and "Eyes Open" from The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond.[31] At the tour's first Nashville show on May 5, Swift announced Speak Now (Taylor's Version), which was released on July 7.[32] It broke the Spotify record for the most-single days streams for an album in 2023,[33] made Swift the first woman to score 12 Billboard 200 number-one albums,[34] and the fastest woman to collect 10 number-one albums in the UK, surpassing Madonna.[35]

1989 (Taylor's Version) was released on October 27, 2023.[36] Globally, it garnered the highest single-day streams for an album in 2023 on Spotify,[37] and its tracks occupied the top six of the Billboard Global 200 concurrently, making Swift the first artist to do so.[38] In the US, 1989 (Taylor's Version) became Swift's record-extending sixth album to sell one million copies in a single week,[39] and surpassed Midnights, her tenth studio album, for the highest first-week vinyl sales of the 21st century.[40] 1989 (Taylor's Version) debuted atop the Billboard 200 with over 1.6 million units, surpassing the original 1989's first-week figures by 400,000 units, and marked the largest album sales week of Swift's career and the 2020s decade.[41] The vault tracks "Is It Over Now?", "Now That We Don't Talk", and "'Slut!'" occupied the top three spots of the Hot 100 in that order.[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Centrella, Naomi (October 27, 2023). "(Taylor's Version): Explaining Taylor Swift's Re-Recordings Under the Copyright Law". Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  2. ^ a b Sky Magliola, Anna; Shephard, Amy (May 21, 2025). "Taylor Swift's fans are convinced 'reputation' will be the next album to be re-recorded 🐍". Hits Radio. Archived from the original on 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  3. ^ "Why Did Taylor Swift Re-record Her Albums?". Troutman Pepper Locke - Why Did Taylor Swift Re-record Her Albums?. November 14, 2024. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  4. ^ a b Parkel, Inga (2025-05-22). "Taylor Swift has the chance to reclaim master recordings via an unlikely source". The Independent. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  5. ^ "The Mastery of Swift's Re-Recordings (Taylor's Version)". How Music Charts. 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  6. ^ Norman, Dalton; Russell, Tom; Bruce, Amanda (2023-10-01). "Every Taylor Swift Album In Release Order (And Which Are Taylor's Versions)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  7. ^ a b c d "Look What You Made Them Do: The Impact of Taylor Swift's Re-recording Project on Record Labels". University of Cincinnati Law Review Blog. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  8. ^ a b c "No Infringement Intended: Why Did Taylor Swift Re-record Her Albums? A Look at Music Copyright and Contractual Rights". IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law. 2025-01-07. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  9. ^ a b "Better Than Revenge: The Rise of Re-Recording Provisions in Artists' Contracts – Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy". publications.lawschool.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  10. ^ a b BTLJ (2025-05-02). "Taylor Swift's Copyright Battle and Strategic Re-Recording Songs". Berkeley Technology Law Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  11. ^ "For the (Re-)Record: Here's What You Need to Know About Re-Recording Restrictions - Synchblog". Synchtank. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  12. ^ "Ownership Rights in the Music Industry (Taylor's Version)". Sports & Entertainment Law Journal. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  13. ^ "The Mastery of Swift's Re-Recordings (Taylor's Version)". How Music Charts. 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  14. ^ Battan, Carrie (April 12, 2021). "Taylor Swift Wins with "Fearless (Taylor's Version)"". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Savage, Mark (February 12, 2021). "Taylor Swift's two versions Love Story compared". BBC. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Taylor Swift wisely chooses not to rewrite history on Fearless (Taylor's Version) – review". The Independent. April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  17. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (April 9, 2021). "Taylor Swift Carefully Reimagines Her Past on 'Fearless: Taylor's Version'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Taylor Swift: Fearless (Taylor's Version) review – old wounds take on new resonances | Alexis Petridis' album of the week". The Guardian. April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  19. ^ Legatspi, Althea (September 17, 2021). "Taylor Swift Surprise-Releases 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' for Avid TikTokers". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  20. ^ Willman, Chris (September 17, 2021). "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' Quickly Beats the Original Song's Spotify Record for Single-Day Plays". Variety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  21. ^ Willman, Chris (September 17, 2021). "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)' Quickly Beats the Original Song's Spotify Record for Single-Day Plays". Variety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  22. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (June 18, 2021). "Taylor Swift Bumps Up Release of 'Red (Taylors Version)' by a Week". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  23. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (November 14, 2021). "Taylor Swift Breaks Spotify Single-Day Streaming Records With 'Red (Taylor's Version)'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  24. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 21, 2021). "Taylor Swift Scores 10th No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Red (Taylor's Version)'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  25. ^ Khan, Fawzi (November 13, 2021). "10 Songs From Red (Taylor's Version) That Are Better Than The Original". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  26. ^ "Red (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift". Metacritic. Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "Taylor Swift's 10-minute 'All Too Well' is longest song to reach No.1". Guinness World Records. November 26, 2021. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  28. ^ Richards, Will (December 21, 2021). "Jack Antonoff: 'All Too Well' teaches artists to "not listen" to industry". Rolling Stone UK. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  29. ^ Willman, Chris (May 5, 2022). "Taylor Swift Debuts 'This Love (Taylor's Version),' From '1989' Redo, in Amazon's 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Trailer". Variety. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  30. ^ Strauss, Matthew; Arcand, Rob (September 24, 2022). "Taylor Swift Turns Down Offer to Play 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  31. ^ MacCary, Julia (March 16, 2023). "Taylor Swift Is Dropping Four Unreleased Songs Ahead of Her Eras Tour Start". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  32. ^ Bernabe, Angeline Jane (May 5, 2023). "Taylor Swift announces 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  33. ^ @Spotify (July 8, 2023). "We've had the time of our lives breaking records with you 💜 @taylorswift13" (Tweet). Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Caulfield, Keith (July 16, 2023). "Taylor Swift's Re-Recorded 'Speak Now' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With 2023's Biggest Week". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  35. ^ Smith, Carl (July 14, 2023). "Taylor Swift secures 10th Number 1 album with Speak Now (Taylor's Version)". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  36. ^ Grow, Kory; Mier, Tomás (August 10, 2023). "Shake It Off Again: Taylor Swift's '1989 (Taylor's Version)' Is Finally on the Way". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  37. ^ Ingham, Tim (November 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) attracted 1,329% more streams than the original version of 1989 in the US last week". Music Business Worldwide. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  38. ^ Trust, Gary (November 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift Makes History With Top 6 Songs, All From 1989 (Taylor's Version), on Billboard Global 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  39. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 1, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Has Sold Over 1 Million Albums in the U.S." Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  40. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 2, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Breaks Modern-Era Single-Week Vinyl Sales Record". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  41. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 5, 2023). "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With Biggest Week in Nearly a Decade". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  42. ^ Zellner, Xander (November 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift Charts All 21 Songs From 1989 (Taylor's Version) on the Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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