Taylor Swift and the Philosophy of Re-recording: The Art of Taylor's Versions

A lively and thorough exploration of the aesthetic, metaphysical, ethical, political, and legal implications of Taylor Swift's ongoing project of re-recording her first six studio albums. When Taylor Swift's record label was sold in 2019, the six studio albums she recorded for them came under the control of a person with whom she has had years of bad blood: Kanye West's former manager Scooter Braun. But rather than move on, Swift chose to take the unprecedented step of re-recording duplicate versions of those albums. With all of the profits made from selling, streaming, and licensing these “Taylor's Versions” going directly to Swift, she could deprive Braun of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. The gambit has already paid off. The first two Taylor's Versions (of Fearless and Red) debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard charts and have sold over one million copies so far; and four more are still on the way. In this book, ten philosophers, a music producer and a composer/music technologist explore the philosophical richness of Swift's project and the questions it raises: Are Swift's re-recordings new works of art or mere copies of the originals? Do the Taylor's Versions of the songs have the same meanings as the original versions, or do they now mean something different? Is her re-recording project genuinely artistic or merely commercial? Is Swift standing up for artists' rights or looking out for herself? Does the music industry exploit artists, and, if so, how should it be reformed? Together they show the philosophical dividends one of the most famous and acclaimed recording artists of her generation is capable of producing. For anyone interested in the complicated relationship between popular art and commerce this book is a must-read. Cover Contents Notes on Contributors Preface Acknowledgments Glossary Timeline of Taylor Swift’s Career Introduction: The Story of Taylor’s Versions Brandon Polite 1 Taylor Swift, Justice, and the Fundamentals of Copyright Darren Hudson Hick 2 Tell Me Why This Isn’t a Cover Cristyn Magnus, P. D. Magnus, Christy Mag Uidhir, and Ron McClamrock 3 Conceptual Art (Taylor’s Version) Sherri Irvin 4 The Art and Craft of (Re-)recording Michael Thomas Connolly 5 Re-recording as Reclamation: Metaphysics, Metaphor, and Taylor’s Versions Brandon Polite 6 Meaning and Morals in Taylor’s Versions Alex King 7 Appreciating Taylor’s Versions: An Aesthetic Love Story Irene Martínez Marín 8 Taylor’s Versions and Versions of Taylor Ley David Elliette Cray 9 The Rights of the Living Dead: Taylor Swift’s Zombie Army Elizabeth Cantalamessa Bibliography Index