We read it in some of their albums, in many of their songs and even in the Eras Tour film that has been released on Disney+. Taylor Swift has been using the term 'for months(Taylor's Version)' in many of his projects, such as the re-recordings of the albums 'Fearless', 'Speak Now', 'Red' or '1989', or in singles such as 'All Too Well (10 minute version)'. Curiously, not all albums or audiovisual content produced or directed by the singer have this last name. But, what does this mean exactly?
The first time Swift started using the term '(Taylor's Version)' was in 2021, after the release of the album 'Fearless (Taylor's Version)'. But the story goes back a few years. Specifically, in 2018, when the singer signed a record contract with Republic Records (owned by Universal Music) to end their agreement with Big Machine Recordsupon learning that his previous record label with which he recorded his first six studio albums: 'Taylor Swift' (his debut album), 'Fearless', 'Speak Now', 'Red', '1989' and 'Reputation', He was bankrupt and looking for a buyer.
Swift, upon signing her contract with Big Machine, also signed over the rights to these albums to the label with a clause that you prohibited re-recording their songs until several years after their release. The singer revealed in a letter in her Tumblr profile that she spent years negotiating with Scoot Brocheta (CEO of Big Machine) to be able to buy her works so that they would not end up in other hands, but she gave up after the unfavorable conditions offered by the record company.
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In 2019, a few months after signing with Universal, Big Machine decided to sell its record label for $300 million to Ithaca Holdings, a company owned by Scooter Braun, businessman and producer, and who bullied Taylor Swift on social networks after his scandal with Kanye West. The sale also included the rights to these first six albums.
Big Machine stopped Taylor Swift from singing or using her music
In that same letter where she revealed her intention to buy her masters, Swift mentioned that He did not know that Scott Brocheta (founder of Big Machine Label Group) was going to sell ownership of the albums to Braun. “Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine that the buyer would be Scooter. Every time Scott Borchetta heard the words 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, he was crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; They both knew it. Controlling a woman who did not want to associate with them,” he mentioned.
After the news, Taylor Swift confirmed her intention to re-record all her albums in order to regain the rights to them, but he continues trying to recover his works through his team, who even proposed the purchase of them from Scooter Braun himself.
Meanwhile, Big Machine Label Group prevented Swift from performing live or using her songs signed under the label for other projects, such as a documentary that Netflix was preparing; something the singer complained about publicly. Even, He even asked his fans for help to pressure Borchetta and Braun to allow him to use their songs.
Later, Big Machine issued a statement accusing Taylor Swift of lying about not being able to use her songs. “At no point did we say that Taylor couldn't perform at the American Music Awards (AMAs) or block her Netflix special. In fact, we have no right to stop him from performing live anywhere,” the label said. Big Machine also claimed that Taylor owed “contractually millions of dollars and multiple assets” to the company as she was responsible for 120 employees that the artist managed.
Taylor's team denied Big Machine's statements by sharing part of a since-deleted message in which the label said that “BMLG will not agree to issue licenses for existing recordings or waivers of its re-recording restrictions in relation to these two projects: the Netflix documentary and the Alibaba Double Eleven event.” They also showed that it was the record company that owed Swift millions of dollars in unpaid royalties.
“If there is something that says (Taylor's Version) in parentheses next to it, it means that it is my property.”
In another letter published in 2020, the singer said that, in exchange, Braun “demanded an ironclad confidentiality agreement” in which it was established I would never say anything bad about him. Braun later sold Taylor's albums to an investment firm, which later revealed that one of the conditions of the sale was not inform the singer of it until it was completed. Swift attempted to purchase his masters through the new company, but declined when she learned that Braun would continue to profit from his old catalog.
In that same letter, Taylor Swift confirmed that she had begun re-recording her albums with the goal of once again owning her music. Months later, in February 2021, she announced her first re-recording of 'Fearless', and revealed that it would carry the term (Taylor's Version). to distinguish it from the original album and Let her fans know that it is a version to which she herself has the rights.
The singer herself recently said it in an interview on the American program Late Nigh: “If there is something that says (Taylor's Version) in parentheses next to it, it means that I own it.”
Since then, Taylor has been releasing covers of her early albums, including 'Red (Taylor's Version)', 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' and '1989 (Taylor's Version)'. All re-recorded songs also put this last name after the title.
Taylor and, above all, her fans also use other terms to refer to the re-recordings.
- Taylor's Version (or TV, as a diminutive): to differentiate those re-recorded albums that are your property.
- Stolen Version: term with which fans refer to the original albums, as it refers to the fact that the albums were stolen from Swift.
On some tracks of their re-recorded albums you can also read 'From The Vault'. That's what Taylor calls the songs she initially wrote for her first albums, but which were eventually scrapped.
However, There are other recent Taylor Swift albums that do not have the nomenclature Taylor's Version: for example, her albums 'Folklore' or 'Midnights'. This is because there is no other edition of that album by Scooter Braun, and since they are signed under Republic Records, she has the rights to those albums.
In any case, this term has become a recognizable seal and part of your brand, which makes Taylor also use it to differentiate other versions. For example, the Eras Tour film on Disney+ uses '(Taylor's Version)' because it is an extended version of the film that the singer released in theaters and on Blu-ray.