I don’t know about you… but all of my social media news feeds have been filled with content on Taylor Swift and her re-recorded 2013 album Red. Now, although I may be a big time Swiftie myself, and thus potentially (extremely) biased on what my social media feed is curated for, it doesn’t take away from that fact that this influx of attention to her album and as well as her song “All Too Well (The 10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” have a subtle importance to the fight against misogyny that women face in the entertainment industry.
Recapping the Incident: Swift vs. Braun
In 2020, Taylor published a tweet explaining how she had begun the re-recording process of her old masters after they had been sold (without her permission) in 2019 to Scooter Braun through his acquisition of her old record label Big Machine Records. You may be familiar with Braun as he is the well-known manager of once-upon-a-time heartthrob Justin Bieber; however, he is also known––according to Taylor––as a bully.
Taylor has had many issues with Braun in the past: from preventing her from using her old songs in a 2019 AMAs performance; to disallowing her from using old performance footage in her documentary Miss Americana; and even allowing his client Justin Bieber to post a photo of the two of them alongside Kanye West (another known agitator to Taylor’s career) with the caption “Taylor Swift what up”. As you can see, the list of aggressions is extensive, with many more offences having been made––which you can read all about here.
After trying to work with Braun and Big Machine Records numerous times behind the scenes––including offering to purchase the masters herself––Taylor publicly came to the conclusion that her efforts were not worthy and decided that her only option in being able to re-own her masters (and essentially re-owning her career) was through re-recording her albums.
The Industry Response
Back in 2019, Allen Kovac––who has been an artist manager for bands such as Blondie and The Bee Gees––gave an interview to RollingStone magazine after Taylor announced her initial intentions to re-record all of her unowned songs. He called her “ambitious” for taking on such a task after willingly leaving Big Machine Records, before ultimately concluding she would fail in succeeding her goal like many other artists have in the past.
Many other men in the industry made claims similar to Kovac, which were also heavy in misogynistic undertones of underestimating a woman to succeed such a feat that most male artists have failed in doing for themselves. And where has underestimating a woman gotten us before? Nowhere.
The Impactful Re-Release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version)
Of course Miss Swift had to go and prove their misogynistic business mentality wrong with her chart-topping, record breaking re-releases of Fearless and Red. Honestly, as a hardcore Swiftie myself, I think this is her biggest comeback era since her 2017 album Reputation––another re-release that many fans are anticipating will break even more records than Fearless and Red have already smashed.
From a woman’s perspective, Taylor’s battle to own her own music speaks words on behalf of all female artists who are being perpetually controlled by the male-dominated entertainment industry. She’s giving them the hope and courage needed to make a space for themselves in the industry as voices and as owners of their own art who will not be bullied by misogynists into submission. Even pop’s brightest new star, Olivia Rodrigo, took influence from Taylor and negotiated her record label contract to ensure that she would own her original masters, showing just how influential Taylor and her battle has become.
To a greater extent, even her most anticipated single off the album “All Too Well (The 10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” is a hit in both the literal and metaphorical way––Jake G., we’re looking at you––as Taylor has also managed to call out men on their misogynistic habits of dating young, new-adult women. So not only did she re-record her albums to hit back at the misogyny she was facing by money-hungry men in the business, she also managed to make her biggest hit off the most successful re-recorded album to date––which, may I remind you, already had chart-topping classics such as I Knew You Were Trouble and We Are Never Getting Back Together––about the predatory desire of older men to date younger women––a habit that we see a lot in the entertainment industry.
Honestly, I could go on forever about Taylor Swift’s impact as a female artist on the misogynistic institution that is the entertainment industry. Of course, her actions have not solved all the issues women face in the industry, however she has made room for herself and other female artists to stand up to the corporate misogynistic industry bullies and lay claim to what is theirs. So keep streaming Taylor’s Versions of Red and Fearless, listen to playlists with only her versions, and be on the lookout for her next re-recording!!
Information obtained from:
[https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a29807801/taylor-swift-scooter-braun-scott-borchetta-tyrannical-control-amas-netflix-doc/]
[https://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/185958366550/for-years-i-asked-pleaded-for-a-chance-to-own-my]
[https://www.insider.com/olivia-rodrigo-owns-master-recordings-taylor-swift-battle-2021-5]
[https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/taylor-swift-plans-to-re-record-her-hits-heres-what-she-might-be-facing-923019/]
[https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1328471874318311425]