Just to be clear, I would never write an article related to Taylor Swift. I have nothing against her. Hell, I used to listen to her first hit “Teardrops on My Guitar” on repeat in middle school. I’ve listened to almost all of her albums from 2006 first debut album to her 2017 Reputation album. I haven’t heard her recent album “Lover” that came out on Aug. 23 and I don’t plan on doing so. Her music today is just not my taste. Sorry but not sorry. I’m not really that much of a fan, but I also don’t really particularly like her either. I don’t know how I feel about her.
So why am I talking about Swift?
So according to her recent tweet on Nov. 14th, she has been announced by the American Music Awards that they will be honoring Swift with the Artist of the Decade Award for this year’s ceremony. She is planning to perform a medley of her hits throughout the decade.
I personally think that she does deserve the award because she had made herself an iconic influencer for the last ten years. She has made hit after hit, sold out many concerts, and is a unique performer.
But there was a catch. She is not allowed to perform her old hits.
Why?
CEO of Big Machine Records, Scott Borchetta and American business person and record executive, Scooter Braun have restricted her to perform any of her old songs on television because ‘they claim that it would be re-recording her music before she’s allowed to next year.
Now to limit an artist’s performance of their own songs that they wrote is just fully disgusting. These two men have the audacity to restrict the one and only Taylor Swift, to perform the first hits that transformed her to the artist that she is today. Like how dare you.
Last year, Netflix created a documentary about her Reputation tour and about her life. There hasn’t been any mention of both Borchetta and Braun or anything related to Big Machine Records that Swift is signed with, according to Twitter.
But it doesn’t end there.
According to The Cut, Taylor Swift tweeted that Borchetta has reached out to her team and stated that they’ll allow her to use her music only if she agrees to not re-record copycat versions of my songs next year and also to keep quiet about the situation.
These two boneheads had the audacity to tell her to shut up and wipe it under the rug or face the consequences.
I’m just overall baffled at the fact that Borchetta and Braun act like they helped create and write her songs. Taylor Swift wrote those songs herself, she even stated that herself in her tweet. Most of her earlier songs were written by HER. Borchetta and Braun had nothing to do with that or help create the relationship she has with her fans.
The fans are speaking for Swift
Her fans would be devastated that they won’t get a chance to see her perform her past smash hits. Swift’s fan base was quick to defend her on social media. On Friday morning, the hashtag #IStandWithTaylor was trending.
According to a press release from The Cut, On November 15, Big Machine issued a lengthy statement denying Swift’s accusations. The statement insisted that Big Machines “[does] not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere,” and in turn accuses her of owing the company “millions of dollars and multiple assets.” Big Machine also claims that the label and Swift were starting to get close to finding a “private and mutually satisfactory solution,” but that Taylor negated their progress by making the “unilateral decision last night to enlist her fanbase in a calculated manner that greatly affects the safety of our employees and their families.”
And you are probably wondering what Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have said about these claims and allegations.
Well so far since Swift’s lengthy twitter posts on Nov. 14, neither she nor Braun has publicly commented on the feud — explicitly, that is. On Nov. 19, Braun tweeted a photo of the phrase, “Kindness is the only response,” with the message, “Words to live by.”
I am at a loss of words.
