Everything You Need to Know About Taylor’s Version Albums

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Why Taylor Swift is rerecording her first 6 albums
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Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, so you’ve probably heard a lot about her even if you aren’t a Swiftie. Over the last few years, Swift has been re-releasing new versions of her first 6 albums with the phrase "Taylor’s Version" attached to the titles. This is her way of gaining ownership of the albums, which were sold by her original record label without her knowledge or support. Keep reading as we explain everything you need to know about "Taylor’s Version" and why Taylor Swift is rereleasing her music.

Things You Should Know

  • When you see “Taylor’s Version” on a song or album, it means that Taylor Swift has rerecorded and owns the rights to it.
  • Taylor Swift began rerecording her first 6 albums after her original record label was sold to her rival Scooter Braun.
  • Taylor Swift has currently released Taylor’s Versions of Fearless , Red , Speak Now , and 1989 and will eventually release Reputation and Taylor Swift .
Section 1 of 3:

What does Taylor’s Version mean?

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    Taylor Swift is in the process of rerecording her first 6 albums so she can own her master recordings. When you see "Taylor’s Version" next to an album title, it means the album has successfully been rerecorded and Swift owns the rights to it. [1]
    • Swift has released "Taylor’s Versions" of her albums Fearless , Speak Now , Red , and 1989 and will release Taylor’s Versions of Reputation and her self-titled album Taylor Swift in the future.
    • Swift already owns the rights to her albums Lover , Folklore , Evermore , Midnights , and The Tortured Poets Department , so those albums will not be rerecorded and are not marked as "Taylor’s Version."
    • "Taylor’s Version" albums also include tracks “From the Vault” which means they’re songs that Swift recorded for the original version of the album that didn’t make the final cut.
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Section 2 of 3:

Why is Taylor Swift rerecording her albums?

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    Swift was only 15 years old at the time and signed a contract with owner Scott Borchetta that gave Big Machine ownership of Swift’s masters, or her original recordings and performances. [2]
    • Swift stayed with Big Machine for 10 years and released her first 6 albums with them.
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    Rapper Kanye West infamously interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, leading to a years-long feud between them. In 2016, West was managed by Scooter Braun, whom Swift accused of working with West to bully her on social media. [3]
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    When her contract was up, Swift chose to leave Big Machine and sign with Republic Records, owned by Universal Music Group, with a deal that would allow her to own her masters moving forward. Her first 6 albums, however, were still owned by Big Machine. [4]
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    This meant that Swift’s masters were also owned by Braun, and she only found out when the deal was made public. She stated that the sale was her “worst case scenario” and accused Borchetta of selling to Braun despite her known opposition. [5]
    • Swift stated that she had asked for the right to own her work for years but was always refused. Instead, she was given the opportunity to re-sign with Big Machine and earn the rights to a previous album with each new album she recorded. She refused because she knew Borchetta would eventually sell the label and her future.
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    The day before the release of Lover , the first album she owned the rights to, Swift appeared on Good Morning America and confirmed that she would be able to begin re-recording her albums in November 2020. In the interview, Swift stated that this was important to her because she believed artists should own their work. [6]
    • Fun fact: In July 2019, Kelly Clarkson tweeted Swift telling her she should rerecord her albums. Swift now sends Clarkson flowers with each Taylor’s Version release. [7]
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Section 3 of 3:

Taylor’s Version Albums

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    Taylor Swift’s sophomore album, Fearless , was rereleased on April 9, 2021, making it the first "Taylor’s Version" album. It includes 6 “From the Vault” tracks.
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    Taylor Swift’s fourth album, Red , was rereleased on November 12, 2021. Red (Taylor’s Version) is Swift’s longest album to date with 30 total songs and 9 “From the Vault” tracks.
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    Speak Now is Swift’s third original album and the third "Taylor’s Version" album, having been released on July 7, 2023. It features 6 vault tracks.
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    1989 is Swift’s first official pop album and was rereleased on October 26, 2023. It contains 5 vault tracks.
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    The release date for Reputation (Taylor’s Version) has yet to be announced, but many fans theorize it will be the next re-recording. In Swift’s Time Magazine “Person of the Year” interview, she promised fans the “From the Vault” tracks would be “fire.” [8]
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    Swift’s re-release of her first album has also yet to be announced, but many fans expect it will be the final rerecording so Swift can finally take back her name.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/pB1nyP_O7II?t=218
      2. ↑ https://theticker.org/12662/arts/taylor-swifts-road-to-reclaiming-her-old-music/
      3. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-scooter-braun-scott-borchetta-explainer-853424/
      4. ↑ https://www.universalmusic.com/taylor-swift-signs-exclusive-global-recording-agreement-universal-music-group/
      5. ↑ https://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/185958366550/for-years-i-asked-pleaded-for-a-chance-to-own-my
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/ellK-CXh7B4?t=84
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/A5tBvmMeBIQ
      8. ↑ https://time.com/6342806/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift/

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