All Musicians Can Learn From The Taylor Swift Situation

Truth be told Taylor Swift is not only one of the most talented musicians/songwriters that ever existed, she also is a very talented business person with a great deal of intellect when it comes to branding decisions. That being said this will be the third time her masters are being sold without her consent or ability to even bid on her own work. Scooter Braun and Big Machine records collectively bargained for the sale of her catalog of six albums without letting the superstar even so much as make an offer.

The catalog was sold to shamrock records for 300 million. Even though Swift’s team got into contact with the label, no formal agreement was reached on what to do with the songs. Shamrock has issued a statement acknowledging the professionalism of Taylor in negotiations. They also stated that the artist expressed her intent to remaster each of the songs, adding surprises to her fanbase that would not only please her followers but would also give the artist control over the work with her being in control of the new masters.

The lesson to be learned is this. Bargain for the ability to control your recorded masters. If you cannot come to conditions you are comfortable with you need to find another studio and/or label. Once you sign a contract with a major label you can bet your ass they will be controlling your music long after it’s been recorded and you might not have a single thing you can do to stop it.

In the humble opinion of this publication, every artist should resist the temptation to sign a multi-album recording deal with any major label just because of the fine print alone. We also understand that some artists need to sign such a deal to get their career going as quickly as they can. Deciding what you want to do with your music is such a critical decision and timing has everything to do with what opportunities one could have. Do not make a decision you will regret and protect your art because at the end of the day it’s your heart and soul on the line. Once you sign that contract you cannot take it back no matter how much money you have.