Although olive branches have been extended by the rights holders, Swift is determined to control her product's destiny.
Others have attempted this trick by means of re-recording, consisting of Def Leppard and Squeeze, all with middling success. And who can forget Prince's unfortunate Crystal Ball in the late '90s. The logistical nightmare of satisfying direct mail orders for physical copies in the low bandwidth period sunk that task, although Prince declared monetary success from it.
But Swift is arguably the world's top pop star. That's substantial ammunition in an experiment that can blaze a path for herself and possibly others.
"This procedure has been more satisfying and emotional than I might've envisioned and has actually made me ever more figured out to re-record all of my music," stated the vocalist, 31, in a statement on social networks. She included that the rollout on the tune "Romance" - now called "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" - her very first Billboard Top 10 single, would get here in the nick of time for Valentine's Day.
Fearless (Taylor's Version) will be released April 9 and feature 26 songs total, consisting of hits like You Belong With Me and Fifteen, in addition to six unreleased tracks composed when Swift was a teen.
Now, the interesting ethical issues emerge. Does the consumer purchase the same music again? More importantly, if you're a tv or film manufacturer that wants to use some Taylor Swift's music, which version do you use?
What's interesting is the value being lost by the rights holders. If new variations become the selected medium for usage, then what they're holding loses major value. Swift has the legal rights to control her publishing, celebrity news update which is handled by Universal Music Publishing Group. As such, she can ban any usage in TV, movies, commercials, video games and any and all media.
Streaming services might be prohibited from using the original masters. TikTok, Peloton and other outlets that have no label licensing at the minute will have to cross that bridge.
"She can reject the use outright on the publishing side unless they use the master she wants," says Mara Kuge, president/founder of Superior Music Corporation. "So she can put something into the publishing license stating: "This usage is contingent upon utilizing the 2021 master."
There's also a dilemma facing Universal. They continue to distribute the old recordings, which means they are basically contending versus themselves in any licensing. That could have legal implications down the road from one unhappy side or the other.
Everyone will be seeing how future songs and the entire album carry out in the market, not the least of them the present rights holders on the old material. It could be yet another accomplishment for Swift, whose business and marketing savvy is the equivalent of her music skill.
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