Taylor Swift is her own boss...

[neverfstop]

This is so freaking cool. I'm seeing more artists want to control their own art and have the rights to it or be able to change it. 

In "Taylor Swift’s battle to shake off the suits," the Financial Times writes (subscription) that it looks like the pop star "will emerge victorious":



Swift's above average level of determination has kicked off one of the most interesting experiments in modern music history. One of the most commercially successful artists of the past decade is painstakingly creating a copy of her first six albums.

There have been examples of famous artists recording new copies of their songs, such as Frank Sinatra and Def Leppard. But those cases were before the streaming era. Swift’s new versions now sit alongside the private equity-owned tracks on people’s phones.

www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/taylor-swifts-red-everything-to-know-about-the-rereleased-album/the-release-date-10/


Whether you’re feeling 22 or not, Taylor Swift’s new spin on her old album Red is bound to make fans feel nostalgic — and that’s the point.



The “Love Story” singer was inspired to rerecord her previous six albums after Scooter Braun purchased the masters to them in 2019. Her hope was that the updated takes on the music would give her back control of her discography.



“Artists should own their own work for so many reasons,” she wrote via Instagram in March 2021. “But the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work.”

[dancingirl21]

Love her or hate her, she's a badass for doing this. It's her music that she created. I love that she found this loophole and is recording all her old albums and making them hers.

[gretchenindisguise]

I am also so impressed by her tenacity to make this happen.

[sent]

I've always liked her songs from the beginning. I don't have any feelings about her in particular.

So she is re-recording these songs and selling them outside of whatever studio contracts she had in the past? Will they have different background music or something?

I don't understand the recording industry but if there's a shakeup there that needs to happen in favor of the artist, that sounds like a good thing.

[picksthemusic]

There may be some reasons to dislike Taylor, but the more I see from her, the more I like her. I loved folklore and the follow up album, and I did download the new Red (Taylor's Version). It's really good.

[shortstax]

I read a piece (in the Atlantic, I think) that put this move in perspective by describing how the length of her career is actually quite long for pop music, especially for women. So it's rare for a star to get to the point where she can be all "I do what I want" and it still sells.

Sidenote--I watched the clip of her SNL performance, and toward the end when the music died down and she was sang something like "You'll get older but your lovers will stay my age...." or something like that was AWESOME. I'm all for hearing more mature* female perspectives in mainstream music.

*in relation to pop music/artists

[dancingirl21]

Also. I love hearing this music re-recorded with her adult voice, versus the original. It’s a different take on her music.

I’m a T.S. fan, so I have lots of thoughts on this. Haha.

[wildrice]

I've been a Taylor Swift fan since forever, and it seems like she's only giving me more reason to stay that way every year. I think this is an awesome thing to do and I admire her work ethic in making this (and the two secret pandemic albums!) happen. I hope she takes some time to relax at some point, lol.

For those wondering, the re-recording is basically the same songs but she added several tracks. The whole album is now something like 2 hours and 10 minutes long. I have listened to the old version of Red a LOT over the years and I noticed only very subtle changes on the re-recording - her voice sounds more mature and there are a few other minor differences. But you bet if/when I listen to it in the future, I will make sure I'm listening to Taylor's version instead of the old one so she gets the streaming credit instead of the people who own her original album.

As a side note, her song "everything has changed" was getting a lot of airplay when I met my now H, and I remember listening to it over and over like a damn teenager after we met. I listened to it the other day and got a little teary

[eponinepontmercy]

Nov 15, 2021 12:05:12 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

I spent a dumb amount of time yesterday watching the SNL performance, and watching the video for All To Well. that said, she should really log on and tell her followers to quit harassing Jake Gyllenhaal because a bunch of her young fans are acting like fools online now.

Jake Gyllenhaal should never know a moment's peace.

[ssmjlm]

Love her or hate her, she's an amazing businesswoman telling the men to STFU. And Scooter Braun was an ass for not selling her library back to her. Now he's basically sitting on nothing and could have walked away with some $.

I'm glad to see her being an example to young and old.

[eponinepontmercy]

Nov 15, 2021 12:50:36 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Nov 15, 2021 12:46:59 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Jake Gyllenhaal should never know a moment's peace.

What did Jake Gyllenhaal do? (Honestly curious, I don’t pay much attention to celebrities anymore).

Here's a basic primer.


www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/taylor-swift-and-ex-jake-gyllenhaals-relationship-timeline/the-new-version/

It doesn't include that she was 20 and he was 29, which is a significant age gap.

Also, he's currently 40 and dating a 25 year old.  

I'm not a crazy Taylor Swift fan, but predatory men should be called out at every opportunity.

[BlondeSpiders]

Nov 15, 2021 12:50:36 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Nov 15, 2021 12:46:59 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Jake Gyllenhaal should never know a moment's peace.

What did Jake Gyllenhaal do? (Honestly curious, I don’t pay much attention to celebrities anymore).

I just did a quick search and all I can ascertain is:

He dared to be an ex? It seems like he's trying to keep his private life private at this point. He's not disparaging her that I can see, and she seems to be the one calling him out at every turn. "Jake Lyon," really? After all this time?

I'm sure she has many wonderful qualities that would make her a good partner. But at this point, why would ANYone want to date her? On the small off-chance it's not happily ever after, you gotta know your relationship will be put on blast.

Swifties, don't @ me, lol.

[wildrice]

Nov 15, 2021 13:03:40 GMT -5 BlondeSpiders said:

Nov 15, 2021 12:50:36 GMT -5 melmaria said:

What did Jake Gyllenhaal do? (Honestly curious, I don’t pay much attention to celebrities anymore).

I just did a quick search and all I can ascertain is:

He dared to be an ex? It seems like he's trying to keep his private life private at this point. He's not disparaging her that I can see, and she seems to be the one calling him out at every turn. "Jake Lyon," really? After all this time?

I'm sure she has many wonderful qualities that would make her a good partner. But at this point, why would ANYone want to date her? On the small off-chance it's not happily ever after, you gotta know your relationship will be put on blast.

Swifties, don't @ me, lol.

She wrote the song in like 2010, so it's not new. The long version is new only because she was not able to record the full version with her label back then. 

It also is probably her #1 fan favorite song of all of her albums, so I'm sure that's why she went to this much trouble to put out this version of it. She tends to be really connected with her fans (and is also a savvy businesswoman) so I'm sure she knew it would get a lot of play if she released it.

I tend to think that Jake G doesn't deserve a ton of backlash at this point over it, but she WAS much younger than him when they dated and he was in a much more powerful social position and didn't treat her well. It is very on-brand for 2021 TS to call out men for taking advantage of or credit for a woman, and perhaps the tradition of established celebrity males dating barely-legal young ingenues deserves to be called out a bit more than it used to be. 

[BlondeSpiders]

Ftr, I absolutely agree that it's gross for a 29 yo to date someone that young. JG will always be skeevy in my eyes for that.

[smock]

I mean, 21-year-old Taylor wasn't wrong when she wrote that she would age but Jake Gyllenhaal's girlfriends wouldn't. Jake is 40 and he's dating a 25-year-old. I'm new to the "All Too Well" hidden meaning search, but that says more about their relationship than the missing scarf, IMO.

(Shit, I listened to that song for the first time literally days ago and I already sound like a Q-Anon conspiracy theorist. How does Taylor Swift do it!??!)

[TR]

Nov 15, 2021 12:05:12 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

I spent a dumb amount of time yesterday watching the SNL performance, and watching the video for All To Well. that said, she should really log on and tell her followers to quit harassing Jake Gyllenhaal because a bunch of her young fans are acting like fools online now.

lol Jake Gyllenhaal is a big boy and I'm sure he's doing just fine.

[missva]

I love her new stuff (Folklore and Evermore are both amazing) and I think this is a strong, creative move on her point.

(I'm a little surprised at the shock, disgust etc of a 29 year old dating a 20 year old. That in itself doesn't seem predatory or like a big age gap at all.)

[cattledogkisses]

Nov 15, 2021 13:50:32 GMT -5 missva said:

I love her new stuff (Folklore and Evermore are both amazing) and I think this is a strong, creative move on her point.

(I'm a little surprised at the shock, disgust etc of a 29 year old dating a 20 year old. That in itself doesn't seem predatory or like a big age gap at all.)

A nearly 10-year age gap when the younger person is barely out of their teens is a pretty huge difference when it comes to life experience and maturity, IMO.

[shortstax]

Nov 15, 2021 13:56:14 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Nov 15, 2021 13:50:32 GMT -5 missva said:

I love her new stuff (Folklore and Evermore are both amazing) and I think this is a strong, creative move on her point.

(I'm a little surprised at the shock, disgust etc of a 29 year old dating a 20 year old. That in itself doesn't seem predatory or like a big age gap at all.)

A nearly 10-year age gap when the younger person is barely out of their teens is a pretty huge difference when it comes to life experience and maturity, IMO.

I wonder if it was amplified because it came after (correct me if I'm wrong) her relationship with John Mayer.  Like, back to back older dudes with more social power.   

[neverfstop]

Nov 15, 2021 13:56:14 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Nov 15, 2021 13:50:32 GMT -5 missva said:

I love her new stuff (Folklore and Evermore are both amazing) and I think this is a strong, creative move on her point.

(I'm a little surprised at the shock, disgust etc of a 29 year old dating a 20 year old. That in itself doesn't seem predatory or like a big age gap at all.)

A nearly 10-year age gap when the younger person is barely out of their teens is a pretty huge difference when it comes to life experience and maturity, IMO.

I also think the age gap is magnified because they are celebrities and I feel like a 30 year old who's been rich & around the world is different than a normal 30 year old? I'm just projecting here...

[chilerellanos]

I’ve always been a big fan of hers, so her new red album has been basically on a loop since Friday. Lol

I love that she’s taken ownership of herself, her brand, her image in such a big powerful way.

Also, on Friday, Britney truly became free, and Jessica Simpson took 100% ownership of HER brand and image.

It was a big day for women who became famous during a time when tabloids and social media did EVERYTHING to take advantage of them and ruin them.

[chilerellanos]

.

[iheartthe90s]

Nov 15, 2021 13:50:32 GMT -5 missva said:

I love her new stuff (Folklore and Evermore are both amazing) and I think this is a strong, creative move on her point.

(I'm a little surprised at the shock, disgust etc of a 29 year old dating a 20 year old. That in itself doesn't seem predatory or like a big age gap at all.)

It’s more about how he treated her - judging from her songs and the video, it sounds like he “negged” her a lot (told her she wasn’t funny, her music wasn’t cool enough for him, blamed the breakup on her age, implying she wasn’t mature enough for him, etc.).

Also people suspect that they were on and off a lot before the photos came out so she could have been as young as 19 when they started dating.

eta: and, just to add to this, I think her point in the longer version of ATW is that JG was just an all around ass and performative fake feminist (doing stuff like carrying a “fuck the patriarchy” keychain but also continually dating women 10-15 years younger than him?).

[sonrisa]

Nov 15, 2021 14:00:54 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

Nov 15, 2021 13:56:14 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

A nearly 10-year age gap when the younger person is barely out of their teens is a pretty huge difference when it comes to life experience and maturity, IMO.

I also think the age gap is magnified because they are celebrities and I feel like a 30 year old who's been rich & around the world is different than a normal 30 year old? I'm just projecting here...

A 20 year old who has been a professional, award winning musician for half a decade isn't a normal 20 year old, either. She was in a tricky position where dating an average 20 year old wouldn't have been a great fit either. I side eye parents who put their kids in public spaces young at least as much. (which goes for both their families). 

[rupertpenny]

I used to be pretty neutral on Taylor but have become a big fan since she released Folklore last year. I'm happy I'm finally listening to the non-singles from Red, they are great! I really love Nothing New with Pheobe Bridgers and I love that she can put out a song she wrote at 22 about being discarded as she ages so many years later.

Re: Jake Gyllenhaal I don't think anyone should actively harass him but it sounds like he was a pretty huge asshole. And while All Too Well is definitely about him, I don't think Taylor has ever publically confirmed that. And of COURSE Jake is dating a 25-year-old. I think they've been together for a little while so he started dating her when she wasn't much older than Taylor was when they were together.

[eponinepontmercy]

Nov 15, 2021 14:05:54 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Nov 15, 2021 14:00:54 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

I also think the age gap is magnified because they are celebrities and I feel like a 30 year old who's been rich & around the world is different than a normal 30 year old? I'm just projecting here...

A 20 year old who has been a professional, award winning musician for half a decade isn't a normal 20 year old, either. She was in a tricky position. I side eye parents who put their kids in public spaces young at least as much. (which goes for both their families). 

Famous 20 year old brains don't actually age faster and it's still predatory for older men to date girls that young.

[sonrisa]

Nov 15, 2021 14:11:31 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Nov 15, 2021 14:05:54 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

A 20 year old who has been a professional, award winning musician for half a decade isn't a normal 20 year old, either. She was in a tricky position. I side eye parents who put their kids in public spaces young at least as much. (which goes for both their families). 

Famous 20 year old brains don't actually age faster and it's still predatory for older men to date girls that young.

I'm not excusing him. I'm dragging her parents (and his). 

Famous brains *don't* age faster which is why 20 year olds shouldn't have been famous for a half decade. "In a shitty relationship with an older guy for three months" is almost a best case scenario for a kid in her position. 

[eponinepontmercy]

Nov 15, 2021 14:12:26 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Nov 15, 2021 14:11:31 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Famous 20 year old brains don't actually age faster and it's still predatory for older men to date girls that young.

I'm not excusing him. I'm dragging her parents (and his). 

Famous brains *don't* age faster which is why 20 year olds shouldn't have been famous for a half decade. "In a shitty relationship with an older guy for three months" is almost a best case scenario for a kid in her position. 

This is weird.  Older men prey on non-famous teens all the time.  The only difference her fame makes is that she has the chance to call out the predatory behavior in a huge public manner.

Taylor Swift and her parents are NOT at fault for Jake Gyllenhaal's behavior.

[foundmylazybum]

I used to hate Taylor Swift with the fire of a thousand suns.
But IDk, as someone else mentioned, as a female pop artist, it's good to see that she has had long career. It certainly hasn't been an "easy" career--and I think that can be said for other equally as talented women in her arena. Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson Edited: I wanted to add other female artists who are bomb out there, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B also come to mind--but Lizzo is pop but Nikki and Cardi B are more rap and that's why I didn't initially include them, but I think they fit into the "longevity" conversation and I think they are amazing artists.--they ALL have had to face real challenges and I have tons of respect for their talent and grit in a game that is not necessarily designed for longevity.

"I'm sure she has many wonderful qualities that would make her a good partner. But at this point, why would ANYone want to date her? On the small off-chance it's not happily ever after, you gotta know your relationship will be put on blast."
BlondeSpiders ,
This is an interesting comment to make. JG negged her--put down her abilities and her talent and made her feel small-- and John Mayer was a dickstain to her--and to a lot of other women. A question back is "What's resistance to women calling out bad behavior by men that is so common we just--let it go?"


Sorry,

Also: this assertion isn't even really true: Taylor Swift has dated guys like Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston. She's been in a long term relationship now for awhile. None of them have "been put on blast" as their relationships ended. Maybe bc they weren't assholes? Also, some of her songs are about feelings she experienced in like 8th grade lol and she's spoken about how the songs were interpreted to be about her current partners.. Maybe it's that her partners should be wary that if they show their asses, yeah she will burn them.

Finally, Evan Rachel wood sat in silence for years about abuse and trauma she suffered at the hands of Marilyn Manson. She has said it's in part bc people protected HIM and blamed HER for pointing out his terrible behavior. We as a society have a habit of asking "why would anyone date this woman, she won't protect a man's bad behavior" instead of asking "why are we protecting this man and his terrible (abusive!) Behavior"

Also apparently I am a Tayler swift fan. 🙃

[sonrisa]

Nov 15, 2021 14:21:06 GMT -5 eponinepontmercy said:

Nov 15, 2021 14:12:26 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

I'm not excusing him. I'm dragging her parents (and his). 

Famous brains *don't* age faster which is why 20 year olds shouldn't have been famous for a half decade. "In a shitty relationship with an older guy for three months" is almost a best case scenario for a kid in her position. 

This is weird.  Older men prey on non-famous teens all the time.  The only difference her fame makes is that she has the chance to call out the predatory behavior in a huge public manner.

Taylor Swift and her parents are NOT at fault for Jake Gyllenhaal's behavior.

You are misunderstanding me. I'm not blaming her parents for Jake Gyllenhaal specifically.

I'm saying what they did was shitty and set her up to be exploited. Because child stars are often exploited.