by Brandon Reiter
Taylor Swift is perhaps the most popular music artist on the planet. However, her rise to stardom was not faced without many legal battles over her music right’s that will have a lasting impact on the industry as a whole. From her early years as a budding country singer to her evolution into a global pop superstar, Swift’s career has been marked by legal disputes and a relentless pursuit of creative freedom.
In 2019, Swift faced significant copyright challenges when her former record label, Big Machine Label Group, was acquired by Scooter Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings. The acquisition included the rights to Swift’s early master recordings, a move that Swift vehemently opposed. This sparked a highly publicized feud, with Swift publicly accusing Braun of bullying and attempting to control her artistry. Swift eventually announced her decision to re-record her early albums, reclaiming ownership and control over her music.
The legality of Swift’s decision to re-record her music lies in her rights as the songwriter and copyright holder of the underlying compositions. While the melodies and lyrics of her songs are protected by copyright, the sound recordings themselves have a separate copyright owned by the record label.
Swift is fully within her rights to re-record her songs as long as she does not infringe on the rights of the original sound recordings owned by Big Machine Label Group and Ithaca Holdings. By creating new recordings, she can and has already been releasing them independently or through her new record deal with Republic Records, thus retaining ownership and control over her music.
Re-recording her music not only allows Swift to regain control but also serves as a strategic move to assert her artistic autonomy and reclaim her narrative within the music industry. It enables her to make a statement about the importance of artists having ownership and control over their own work, and it provides her with the opportunity to connect with her fans through fresh versions of her beloved songs.
Swift has further emphasized her desire for artistic control by partnering with Republic Records and establishing her own production company, Taylor Swift Productions. This strategic move has allowed her to have a greater say in the creative direction of her music and maintain ownership over her master recordings. Swift’s determination to be in the driver’s seat of her own career has become a symbol of empowerment for artists in an industry often criticized for its exploitative practices.
Taylor Swift’s copyright conundrum and battle for artistic control have had a profound impact on the music industry. Her high-profile disputes have sparked important conversations about the rights of artists, fair compensation in the digital age, and the importance of creative autonomy. By taking a stand and advocating for herself, Swift has become a voice for artists who often find themselves at the mercy of powerful industry forces. Swift’s actions have also prompted changes within the music industry itself. Her decision to re-record her early albums not only allows her to regain control over her music but also serves as a bold statement against the traditional power structures that artists have long struggled against.
Copyright battle’s aside, Swift has also been atop headlines to do her ticket sales. Ticket scalping and resale have been ongoing concerns in the music industry, and Swift’s concerts have not been immune to these practices. Despite efforts to prevent scalping, tickets for her shows have appeared on secondary markets at inflated prices, often to the disappointment of fans who were unable to secure tickets during the initial sale. This has sparked frustration and allegations of unfairness, as scalpers profit from the high demand for Swift’s concerts.
To address these issues, Swift has taken steps to combat ticket scalping and improve the ticket purchasing experience for her fans. She has partnered with ticketing platforms that implement various anti-scalping measures, such as dynamic pricing, ticket limits per customer, and verified fan programs. Additionally, she has advocated for legislative changes to address ticket scalping and protect fans from inflated prices.
Her influence has prompted other musicians to re-evaluate their contracts and seek more equitable agreements with record labels and streaming platforms. As she continues to push boundaries and challenge the status quo, Taylor Swift remains a formidable force in the pursuit of artistic control and fairness within the music industry. Personally, her music is not my cup of tea but it’s safe to say that Taylor Swift’s prowess, business moves, and advocacy will have a lasting impact on the music industry.
