21 Apr 2025
Songwriting/Master Copyright ft. Taylor Swift's Dispute
This special episode is a remix of my English Writing 112 Essay, about songwriting and master copyright in the U.S., with the Taylor Swift and Big Machine Records dispute as a case study.
Music
Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift
Seize The Day - Paul McCartney
Is It Over Now (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) - Taylor Swift
so american - Olivia Rodrigo
Risk - Gracie Abrams
Works Cited
Dahl, Kurt. "A Change is Gonna Come: The Future of Copyright and the Artist/Record Label Relationship in the Music Industry." University of Saskatchewan Research Archive, August 2009, harvest.usask.ca (https://harvest.usask.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/db015eb2-6e4c-4265-8583-198188f326b6/content).
Dailey, Hannah, and Kirsten Spruch. "A Timeline of Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun’s Public Feud." Billboard, 1 July 2019, www.billboard.com (https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-scooter-braun-feud-timeline/borchetta-responds-to-swift-with-his-own-letter/).
Grady, Constance. "Taylor Swift’s New Record Deal and Why It Matters." Vox, 19 Nov. 2018, www.vox.com (https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/11/19/18102856/taylor-swift-record-deal-republic-records).
Grow, Kory. "Prince Promises New Album and Remasters After Label Partnership." Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2013, www.rollingstone.com (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/prince-promises-new-album-and-remasters-after-label-partnership-171916/).
Herman, Ann. "You Belong with Me: Recording Artists’ Fight for Ownership of Their Masters." Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Scholarly Commons, March 2021, scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu (https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njtip/vol18/iss2/4/).
Reilly, Nick. "Dua Lipa Secures the Rights to Her Songs in New Publishing Deal." Rolling Stone UK, 2024, www.rollingstone.co.uk (https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/news/dua-lipa-secures-the-rights-to-her-songs-in-new-publishing-deal-33960/).
Snapes, Laura. “Olivia Rodrigo: ‘I’m a teenage girl. I feel heartbreak and longing really intensely.’” The Guardian, 7 May 2021, www.theguardian.com (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/07/olivia-rodrigo-im-a-teenage-girl-i-feel-heartbreak-and-longing-really-intensely)
Sisario, Ben. "Taylor Swift Says Scooter Braun Won’t Let Her Perform Her Old Songs." The New York Times, 1 July 2019, www.nytimes.com (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/arts/music/taylor-swift-master-recordings.html).
Swift, Taylor. "Been getting a lot of questions about the recent sale of my old masters. I hope this clears things up." X, 16 November 2020, x.com (https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1328471874318311425).
Swift, Taylor. "Swift talks about years of unfair treatment by Big Machine Records, which denied her ownership of her music masters. She refused exploitative contract terms requiring her to earn back old albums by producing new ones. After leaving, her former label sold her catalog to Scooter Braun, a figure she accuses of manipulative bullying. The post also references her upcoming album Lover as a fresh start." Tumblr, 30 June2019, taylorswift.tumblr.com (https://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/185958366550/for-years-i-asked-pleaded-for-a-chance-to-own-my).
Willman, Chris. "Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson Exits for Universal Publishing, as Taylor Swift Gets New Representative." Variety, 18 June 2019, variety.com (https://variety.com/2019/music/news/sony-atv-troy-tomlinson-universal-publishing-taylor-swift-1203245377/).
Yang, John, and Jonah Anderson. "Why Universal Music Group Is Pulling Songs from TikTok." PBS NewsHour, 1 Feb. 2024, www.pbs.org (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-universal-music-group-is-pulling-songs-from-tiktok#:~:text=The%20first%20one%20is%20money,to%20be%20flooded%20with%20A.I).
