Why Taylor Swift is “Burning Red” for the Second Time

On November 12th, Taylor Swift released her album “Red”. For the second time. The iconic pop star has already released this same album in 2012, but there is an important reason that she is releasing the same tracks 9 years later.

The contract Swift had signed in 2005 with Big Machine Records was one that expired in 2018. But when Scooter Braun bought Big Machine Records, he also gained control of Swift and her music. Taylor desperately tried to buy her music back, with no luck at owning her first 6 albums. Her decision to re-record these albums allows her the ability to own the albums again, if not the original, but the new and improved. 

Taylors case is not rare in musicians losing the rights to their music, and her making the effort to revisit her old eras shows the legal extent she has to go to own what anyone listening could identify as her songs.

Not only is Swift re-recording the albums, she is also releasing never before heard songs called “vault tracks” that never made it to the original album. On “Red”, her 10 minute version of “All too Well” has done extremely well, hitting the number one spot on the Billboard Charts. She also is releasing extra content to add to the experience, like a short film, music videos, and new merchandise. 

Even though Taylor Swift lost the rights to own her music, it did not stop her from thinking big and impressing her fans. Now, everyone is able to relive the magic of “Red” for the second time, and we can get angry at Jake Gyllenhaal all over again.