Taylor Swift - "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)"
A Queen of the industry solidifying her authority
This is more a discussion than a review. “Speak Now” isn’t a new album, after all. But it’s worth talking about, given how its release has impacted the Billboard composition and the records Taylor is currently setting.
Why?
Taylor fans already know these songs. So why is her re-release series so successful?
Well, to start, there’s clearly the loyalty of the fandom. Swift’s career to this point is nothing short of iconic. She’s the current Streisand, Madonna, Cher - all rolled into one, given the numbers Swift enjoys.1 Sure, those numbers weren’t possible in decades past. But the total eclipse of such amazingly-talented artists is only possible by another artist on that level.2 Whatever your opinion of Swift, you have to recognize that she is, most certainly, at that level.
Then, there’s the narrative.3 The re-recordings are a snub to the Rich Jerk who bought Swift’s masters from her old label (Big Machine). With the success Swift has had, plus the generous terms she negotiated with Universal, she could afford to re-record her albums so that ownership of the product was entirely hers. This should be something every artist gets to do, but it’s expensive.
Finally, the quality. “Back to December” and “Dear John” and “Long Live” are all incredible songs, BELOVED by Swift’s fans. Just as “22” and “All Too Well” were on Red. But the re-recordings also involve serious increases in mix and audio quality. The instrumentation is deeper, more realized. Even on my lesser headphones, these songs sound vastly improved.
The incredible thing is that listeners, myself included, generally have a bias toward whatever version of a song they hear first. How often do you hear a cover that’s better than the original? Or when an album re-records a song for a Greatest Hits album, it sounds weird. Right? But every track on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (or either of the other “Taylor’s Version” cuts) is straight-up improvement over the original.
The album as a whole is longer and deeper, too. The original cut of “Speak Now” was 14 tracks; the deluxe version added three (“Ours”, “If This Was A Movie”, and “Superman”) plus a couple of acoustic versions and a remix; Taylor’s Version adds five new songs to the 17 from the deluxe version of the original and clocks in at 104 minutes of playtime. And yes, all five of the songs “from the vault” are incredible.
Taylor genuinely loves her fans. She’s openly discussed how much she loves playing games with them through her lyrics, videos, and teasers. She goes out of her way to engage with them and sets a great example as a role model (she’s the reason GoFundMe’s donation limit was raised).
The “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings aren’t done - 1989 and Reputation are still to come (also, possibly her self-titled debut album, but it’s the weakest entry in her entire catalogue, so it might get passed over). Both of those albums will easily continue the trends that “Midnights” and Speak Now (TV) have extended. There may be a brief lull, but her existing records will be eclipsed soon.
Now that we have thoroughly stated the obvious, why is the continued success of Taylor’s Version re-recordings such a noteworthy event?
If you’re an executive at a big record label trying to poach top acts, the ownership of masters is now something you’ll want to consider offering. Obviously, the labels want to hold onto everything they can possibly monetize, but this is now on the table. And big artists may start asking for it when trying to negotiate new contracts. This doesn’t mean that re-recordings will suddenly become the norm, but it changes the discussions happening in LA and Nashville. Because Universal may not own the masters for Lover, Folklore, Evermore, or Midnights, but those albums have already made them a killing. And the re-record process has made them more money on old music. It’s been a huge win for them, even if they won’t own the rights to the masters decades in the future.
It’s also made Taylor a fortune. And she’s not one to just sit on her money. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see an aging T-Swift buy a large stake in a big label, or even start up her own label, and streamline the path to ownership for other artists. It definitely sounds like the kind of ambitious scheme she might come up with. And she’s definitely not done rocking the industry’s proverbial boat. Her career is only half over, at most.
Yes, this is exaggeration, but still - their careers are over, and Swift has surpassed them in pretty much every metric. She’s only maybe halfway to retirement.
Beyonce is also on this list, but comparing her statistical successes to four white women will only end in frustration. Even in 2023. Also, she’s more R&B than straight pop.
Taylor’s grip on the narrative never slips anymore. Not since that whole Kimye fiasco.