Since news first broke that Scooter Braun had taken ownership over Big Machine Record Label and, with it, the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s first six albums, Swifties (including Kelly Clarkson!) have been throwing around their hopes for updated, freshly recorded versions of Taylor’s catalogue. While the acquisition of a recording artist’s music wouldn’t normally be such a big deal, Scooter Braun happens to have a history of publicly bullying Taylor. With the sale of her old label, he’s now at the top of the ladder of people that make decisions about where and how those recordings can be used, like if they’ll continue to be hosted on Spotify or if they’ll be used in a certain movie or political campaign. Yikes! Could you imagine what a vindictive, tragically powerful man might choose to do with those recordings?
According to Variety, Taylor recently chatted with Tracy Smith on CBS Sunday Morning. Smith reportedly asked Taylor about any plans to re-record her previous music, to which Taylor said, “Yeah, absolutely.” This is the first time she’s responded to the idea since it first started making the Twitter rounds, but she wouldn’t be the first artist to do it. Almost a year ago, JoJo rereleased her first two albums, after her original record label pulled the original versions off of streaming services.
Re-recording her old tracks won’t give Taylor control over her original music, but it might give her a leg up above it. I’ll always love her originals – after all, they’re the reason I started following her – but the thought of listing to today’s Taylor sing “Cold as You,” eliminating the country twang of her early years, has me. on. edge, and I can already hear the post-#taylorswiftiscancelled “Long Live” we always knew we needed. Who knows if she’ll re-record albums in full or pick and choose her biggest hits, but in an ideal world, those that want to license her music will come directly to her, requesting use of her updated tracks instead of the originals being held hostage by Scooter Braun. I know I’ll be the first in line to purchase whatever she puts out.
Taylor’s been teasing what new versions of her old music could sound like for years, performing “Love Story” in the style of 1989 on every night of that tour, Joan Jette-ifying “We Are Never Getting Back Together“ and treating attendees to a different old track each night of her last three tours as a “secret song.” I thought I got everything I could have ever wanted when Taylor sang “Change” during the rep Tour’s run at Gillette Stadium, but now I might be looking at a high quality recording of it? *Insert Chef’s Kiss here*
Just imagine all of the other possibilities! An hq edition of the “Bad Blood x Should’ve Said No” mashup? A Taylor recording of “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home?” “All Too Well” with original lyrics? She’s always got something up her sleeve, and I don’t have the time to wait to find out – I need answers now!
You can catch the interview for yourself when it airs on CBS, August 25 at 9am EST.