This is a perfect metaphor for the preposterous kerfuffle on Taylor and the sale of Big Machine's masters (yes, people, she never owned them).
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. Can 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?
I haven't 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.
Remember that Taylor had three ways to get back her masters: 1. resigning with Big Machine, 2. buying Big Machine and 3. exercising her termination rights under copyright law.
The narrative by Taylor has been disingenuous, malicious, and at odds with industry practice since the late 1800's.
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.
Of course, Trump's lies are a lot more consequential than Taylor's but hers still trouble me. Hey, Tay, the underdog role doesn't fit well and, oh, by the way, your new record company is now 20% owned by a hedge fund but you haven't mentioned that.
Lance Grode
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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 compelling. It was absolutely the right album at the right time for me.
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 be using influence and time in much worse ways. Maybe this is what Taylor has been fighting against all along?
Feel free to ignore. I am just a "nobody" who thinks it's disturbing how much our society continues to be threatened by a young woman with power...
Tim Hussey
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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's 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.
Joe Fletcher
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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. Any man who had his music stolen by an arrogant dick at a record company would come out guns blazing—why 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's achievements? Not a thing, guaranteed.
Honestly, I'm not a Taylor fan, but the comments in this column made me so mad that now I'm going to buy the rerelease.
Bonnie Hayes
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A few mentioned catching lightening in a bottle with the originals and it's so true. The re-recordings are done in spite and not for artistry. Imagine if Springsteen had re-recorded the first 3 LPs after settling with Mike Appel. Would never had been the same...especially on Born To Run. I believe Max Weinberg said he still can't match Ernest Boom Carter's drums on the title track. And what did El Jefe do at his RRHOF induction? He invited Appel to the soirée since he knows without Appel's guerilla management he would not be where he is now.
T-Swiz's deal seems to be about ownership and licensing with her fans a lower priority. Yeah she will says it's all about her fans but it's 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.
Brian Helgesen
Philly PA
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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.
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.
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. This entire shit show is about juvenile egos and their continued focus which diminishes our entire industry.
-Tony Gottlieb
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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?
Taylor notwithstanding, maybe an artist has something further to contribute a few years down the line. Consider Kate Bush re-recording 'Wuthering Heights'
And if you don't like it, fine. Don't listen!
sofu_gan
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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….and in just the same way as Frankenstein's monster, it's actually kind of grotesque, in terms of artistry. I understand why she's doing it, but come on.. it's totally nuts as far as the fans are concerned. The fans don't benefit, they lose, because Taylor is now 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'. And now on YouTube there are lyric versions entitled 'Taylor's Version', but the real truth is that these aren't purely 'Taylor's versions'…they're actually a Xerox of 'Taylor AND Nathan's' version (her co-producer on the originals). So if this is all about 'intellectual property', I sure hope Nathan Chapman is being looked after, and receiving producer royalties, because the original 'lightning in a bottle' 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't respect Taylor for doing this, because the art should always come before the money… which she already has plenty of. Ok, so she's pissed off at a record company… WHO ISN'T?!?!
Simon Hosford.
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Might be time to issue a retraction or apologize. 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.
Steve Brown
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I completely agree with Thomas Flood's 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 "compete" 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.
Bob Cavalieri
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It's about licensing and owning your own material.
It's good business.
Ron Stone
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The letters reminded me of Richard Hell's multiple efforts to revise his second album, Destiny Street. Unhappy 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 Destiny 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 Destiny Street Remixed, and released the results alongside the original and the Repaired edition as Destiny Street Complete, along with added demos. The package is interestingly satisfying as an artist's aural essay of his early work and later maturity.
hyperbolium
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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
2008 and 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osLG1XnYkbQ
Immediate impression.
I only had to listen to a few seconds, the 2021 intro switching to 2008 - it was a switch from nothing-special-par-for-the-course-2021-sonic clarity to an instance groove, feel and atmosphere.
The creatively honest course of action would be to write a Love Story 2 reflecting her current "maturity".
Overly focusing on separation and clarity of instruments/vocals as most reviewers tend to do, is a red herring. In fact most reviews I've read are strong on the surrounding non-musical narrative and weak on actually listening to what's in front of them - but as Lee Abrams and others know know all to well, it's targeted narratives that sell.
antgimel
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Taylor has expended how much energy, lost time and needless struggle over her battles with Big Red Machine, resorting to (attempted and ultimately failed) cannibalism. A word that truly irks me but it applies.
Anyone remember the 70s? The acts would put out 3 studio LPs, tour and build a fan base - and clean up with a live LP. There was little cannibalism and instead the fans had two versions of one song, that was like 1+ 1 = 3, multiplied by the tracks put on the live LP
Because when you tired of one version, you flipped back to the other.
I don't have all night to list all the records that come to my mind but let's just say Kiss Alive and Frampton Comes Alive and Live Silver Bullet and Cheap Trick in Budokan and One More From the Road, while immensely sparking catalog sales, independently served as the amongst the respective biggest albums, fan favorites, in the repertoire.
True true true, that was when owning records was the only means of on demand and we had nothing but time, to marinate in catalogues and go back and pick up early studio albums after the live LP blew new breath on them, and nowadays another LP is pinched for space in our day, but the point is still applicable - rather than try to cleave listeners from a studio track by trying to take that track in a studio, bust out the best live version you have and run with it.
You don't do this, why? It's not about the music or the fans. Oh, my, it's your ego. You just can't let it go. Believe me - you're doing so will get across more becoming.
Dennis Pelowski
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She's doesn't care what we think and it's working!
She in person is one of the nicest people we've met and last minute she's asked Echosmith to be her musical surprise and it sometimes was only 2-3 hours before a stadium show and we never sent our rider yet everything on our rider was there plus a bottle of finest champagne and a hand written letter.
She's brilliant and kind and writing her own story!
We get one life so do what you want!
Jeffery David
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I like the new Fearless, and even better… I LOVE THAT WE ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT IT. It feels more current, more fresh, more NOW. And we are talking about it!
Lizzz Kritzer
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Her generation and fans respect her fight and independence to stand up to the "Rank & File".
This is bigger than the music. She is leading and does not care what the Old Farts in the industry say.
Duff Rice
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So interesting to hear what Philip Paul Adam Steve Colin Anders Matt Don Bob Andrew Rick Rich etc etc etc all had to say about one of the premier living female musicians!
Paula Franceschi
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Hi Bob - through 80 percent of this and really have no issue with it. I actually would have not pulled it up on Deezer ( yes - you should discuss the other streaming services) if you had not mentioned it. Not a bad soundtrack to Saturday night in Canada....
Thanks,
John Hayes
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In a 2004 interview with the New York Times, Stephen Hawking was asked what his IQ was.
He said: "I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are losers."
Jim Carroll
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I'm sure you've noticed a correlation between the stupidity of the comments and the grammatical tragedies. Ok, the tempo's are the same, with all do respect.
By the way, my IQ was measured at 168 and I'm stupid as fuck.
Eric Bazilian
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