Here’s Why Swifties Are Refusing To Stream Taylor Swift’s Newly Released Live Album
Taylor Swift is not happy about the release of her latest album. While it seemed that the feud between Swift, Scooter Braun, and Big Machine Label Group had calmed down, Braun and his label have once again fueled the fire. Taylor Swift's statement about her new live album tears apart her former label, and she explained why.
On Thursday, April 23, Big Machine Label Group released a new, unauthorized live album titled Live From Clear Channel Stripped 2008 featuring some of Swift's performances from 2008. When Swift became aware that the label had plans to release the album that night, she decided to speak out. In an honest statement on her Instagram Stories, Swift slammed the label's release of the album.
Swift's statement began, "Hey guys — I want to thank my fans for making me aware that my former record label is putting out an 'album' of life performances of mind tonight." She continued, "This recording is from a 2008 radio show performance I did when I was 18. Big Machine has listed the date as a 2017 release but they're actually releasing it tonight at midnight." This information would suggest that Big Machine may have been attempting to slide under the radar, listing the wrong release year.
Sharing her thoughts, Swift continued, "I'm always honest with you guys about this stuff so I just wanted to tell you that this release is not approved by me." The Lover singer then joked that Braun and his financial backers "have seen the latest balance sheets and realized that paying $330 MILLION" for her music "wasn't exactly a wise choice and they need money."
The 30-year-old finished her PSA, saying, "In my opinion… Just another case of shameless greed and the time of coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent."
After some of Swift's fans brought the album to her attention, many are now refusing to support it in light of Swift's statement. On Twitter, the singer's fans have been asking others not to stream the album to maintain Swift's stance on the unauthorized release. The album is currently available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as other streaming platforms.
Swift's feud with Braun began after he acquired her former label, Big Machine Records, last year. The label owns the entire back catalogue of her albums up to 2017's Reputation. Braun made a statement back in November 2019, addressing the Swift controversy at the 2019 Entertainment Industry Conference. "What I’ll say is, people need to communicate, and when people are able to communicate, I think they work things out,” he said. "I think that these problems that are being discussed can be discussed behind closed doors and figured out pretty easily, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do for six months."
Swift had difficulty navigating the transition of ownership, making the claim that Braun and Big Machine were preventing her from performing her old songs at the AMAs. However, the label denied her claim, and Swift did perform a medley at the AMAs.
Faithful Swifties are backing the singer's position against Braun and her former record label. Despite the unauthorized album, Swift is continuing to speak out and advocate for her rights as an artist.
