Why is Taylor re-releasing her music?

     

As a teenager, Taylor never imagined that she would lose the rights to her music and have to go through a legal battle just to own it. In 2005 Taylor signed to Big Time Machine Records to kick-start her career. With this label company, she recorded her first 6 albums that rocketed her to fame. However, that partnership expired in 2018 and Taylor then signed to Universal Records. Along with her partnership, Taylor lost the rights to her music even though she wrote and recorded it herself. 

    When Taylor tried to fight for her records, she discovered that Big Time Machine Records sold them to "Big Machine sold to private-equity group Ithaca Holdings, owned by powerhouse music manager Scooter Braun. He then sold her master's to another company, Shamrock Holdings, for a reported $300 million in 2019." (Time). In order to combat that Taylor promised to release albums that they still had ownership and encourage her fans to listen to those instead. 

    As a result of Taylor's deceleration, she was taking back the power and that is why you see some albums like Speak Now (Taylor's Version) Not only did Taylor release music she already recorded but also released music from her vault that no one has ever heard. This move to take her power back was not only powerful for her, but it also allowed her to spoil her fans with music she has never let any of them hear. 

    Not only was this move powerful for Taylor but also for other artists. this brought attention to what is wrong with the music industry. Artists don't actually own the rights to the music that they have written and poured their heart into. instead, it is owned by hungry money executives who could care less about the artist or their fans. This brought awareness to the problem at hand and encouraged many other artists to take ownership of their art and not to let anyone else take advantage of them.