Taylor Swift's re-recorded albums have made labels tighten contracts
Typical waiting periods to re-record would range from five to seven years. Now some labels are asking for as long as 30 years.
LEARN MOREPosted: 3:13 p.m. EST Nov 6, 2023
Look What You Made Her Do.
Taylor Swift's remake of her "1989" album just outsold the original — and even broke a personal record for the pop star.
Nine years ago, Swift set quite the bar when she released her "1989" album on Oct. 27, 2014, earning her 1,287,000 in U.S. sales on debut week, according to the New York Times. At the time, it was the fastest-selling record in more than a decade, affirming Swift's dominance in the music industry.
The pop star did just that and more when she dropped "1989 (Taylor's Version)" on Oct. 27 of this year. On release week, the album scored 1,653,000 in U.S. sales, making it the biggest opening sales week of Swift's career.
This is the biggest album debut since Adele's "25" eight years ago, which sold a record 3.38 million copies its first week, according to Billboard.
"1989 (Taylor's Version)" also reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking the 13th time the superstar achieved No. 1 on the chart.
Swift has been re-recording her old albums in a power move to take ownership of her music. It all started in November 2020 when music manager Scooter Braun and label Big Machine wouldn't let Swift buy the masters of her back catalog. She began remaking her old music while adding songs "from the vault" that didn't make the cut on original albums, along with mature visuals.
"1989 (Taylor's Version)" is the fourth re-recorded album Tay has released, along with "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," "Red (Taylor's Version)" and "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" — all of which have topped the Billboard 200 charts, debuting at No. 1.
Swift has been taking the world by storm as she continues breaking records on her "Eras Tour," which is on pace to break $2 billion in North American sales alone. Her concert film of the tour also became the top-grossing domestic concert film ever.
