No, it’s not because she wants to give a new twist to it like some people keep speculating. Taylor Swift decided to re-record some of her earlier songs due to a series of events related to the ownership of her master recordings. In the music industry, the term “master recordings” refers to the original recordings of a piece of music, and ownership of these masters gives the owner control over how the music is used and distributed.

Here’s a summary of the events leading to Taylor Swift’s decision to re-record her songs:

Original Contract with Big Machine Label Group: Taylor Swift signed a record deal with Big Machine Label Group early in her career. As part of the deal, Big Machine owned the master recordings of the albums she released with them; “Taylor Swift (Debut),” “Fearless,” and “Speak Now, 1989, and Reputation”.

Sale of Big Machine Label Group: In 2019, Big Machine Label Group was sold to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings. This acquisition meant that Scooter Braun, a manager in the music industry, gained control of the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s early albums.

Dispute Over Ownership: Taylor Swift publicly expressed her dissatisfaction with the sale, as she had been vocal about her opposition to Scooter Braun due to past conflicts. The change in ownership meant that she no longer had control over the use of her original master recordings.

Decision to Re-Record: To regain control over her music and the master recordings, Taylor Swift announced her intention to re-record her early albums. Re-recording the songs would allow her to create new master recordings that she would own and have control over.

Release of Re-Recorded Albums: Taylor Swift began the process of re-recording her albums, starting with “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” which was released in 2021. The re-recorded albums include not only the original tracks but also additional content, providing fans with new versions of the songs. The additional content are popularly called ‘vault tracks’.

By re-recording her songs, Taylor Swift aims to assert control over her musical catalog and ensure that she benefits financially and creatively from her own work. This strategy also allows her to offer fans new versions of her classic songs while navigating the complexities of the music industry and ownership rights.

Taylor’s Versions Release By Release Period.

• Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
• Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
• Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)
• 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (upcoming)