On November 12, 2021, American pop and country artist Taylor Swift released a re-recorded version of her 2012 album ‘Red’, garnering more than 90 million streams and breaking the record for the most streamed album by a female artist in a day. 

Her hit short film, All Too Well, starring actors Sadie Sink and Dylan O’brien, rose to the #1 spot on youtube only a day after it’s release. It’s bittersweet message of remembrance of the past, while embracing the present and moving on towards the future stuck with many fans.

“It was my favorite,” Swift says. “It was about something very personal to me. It was very hard to perform it live. Now for me, honestly, this song is 100 percent about us and for you.”

At only fifteen years old, Swift signed a six-album contract with the record label ‘Big Machine Records’. However, she unknowingly signed away her control over the official recordings of all of her albums. Despite this, Swift continued to produce music, creating the hit albums Speak Now, Fearless, Red, and 1989.

“I’ve been listening to Taylor my whole life…The very first album I listened to was 1989. It was the first concert I went to, and I feel like it just holds a special place in my heart.” says Hannah MacBride ‘25.

 Although these albums made a huge impact on her career, Swift has spoken about her ongoing copyright struggle between the record label which owns the majority of her music. ‘Lover’, released in 2019, was known for being the first album which she owned all legal rights to. From there, Swift continued to release music, including the well known albums Folklore and Evermore.

“Every week, we get a dozen requests to use ‘Shake It Off’ in some advertisement or ‘Blank Space’ in some movie trailer, and we say no to every single one of them,” Swift said in a 2019 interview with Billboard. “And the reason I’m rerecording my music next year is because I do want my music to live on. I do want it to be in movies, I do want it to be in commercials. But I only want that if I own it.”

“I think it’s good [that she re-recorded Red].” says Ali Sanfrancesco ‘25. “If she re-records all of her albums then she’ll own every single one, and she’ll have control over all of her music.”

Swift’s re-recording has inspired numerous artists to take control of their own music rights. Thousands of artists are now negotiating ownership of their albums, in an attempt to increase their revenue in addition to having a sense of control over their legal rights. For millions around the world who grew up listening to Taylor Swift, her re-recording of her albums mark a new chapter in her life, signifying the independence she now holds.

When asked how Taylor Swift’s music impacted her life, MacBride says, “I’m not really sure, exactly. I feel like it helps me do things. If I don’t want to do something I can just listen to Taylor and that will help me do it.”

Suffice to say, Swift’s actions have undoubtedly shaped the music industry. Her avocation for her music rights has continued to inspire young artists to do the same, and to be in control over their own art.