#IStandWithTaylor: Swift’s battle with label is for fans and other artists, too

“Don’t know what else to do.”

This Taylor Swift Twitter post on Nov. 14 was a cry for help. Her former record company, Big Machine Label Group, refused Swift “permission” to perform her own songs at Sunday’s American Music Awards, where she will be honored as “Artist of the Decade.”

Swift signed her first recording contract at just 15 years old. The contract stated that Big Machine would retain full ownership of all of Swift’s master recordings.

My time interning at Big Machine, in 2011-12, taught me many things. But Swift alone was the whole reason I wanted to be there.

Swift has always been an advocate for artists to own their own material and has been an agent of change in this new media landscape driven by streaming services. In 2014, she publicly went head-to-head with Apple when she objected to her “1989” album streaming on the company’s then-new Apple Music platform because it had no infrastructure in place to properly pay royalties to music creators.

Apple quickly took Swift’s advice, and the two began a lucrative partnership. Swift made it clear that her mission was to join with those just getting started in the music industry — those depending on royalty payments to pay their rent.

Her recording contract with Big Machine was up for renewal in 2018, and she chose to move to Universal Music Group. In her statement announcing the new venture, she said it’s “incredibly exciting to know that I own all of my master recordings that I make from now on.” She went on to thank Big Machine’s CEO and founder, Scott Borchetta.

Their partnership ended after Borchetta sold ownership of Big Machine to Scooter Braun, known for his work with the likes of Justin Bieber. Swift’s statement detailed consistent, conniving bullying from Braun and his entourage of celebrity clients and her disappointment in Borchetta for choosing Braun as a business partner.

Deciding to leave Big Machine, she said, was not easy.

“For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work,” Swift wrote. “Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.” She added that she “learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of [her] masters as it was announced to the world.”

Big Machine is denying Swift’s allegations and “allowing” her to perform her music at the AMAs. Executives say Swift’s strategy of calling upon fans is creating threats to the company’s employees and their families.

But Swift’s camp makes clear Big Machine intends to bar her rights for future projects involving her old music. Tree Paine, Swift’s publicist, said that a recent audit showed Big Machine neglected to pay Swift $7.9 million in back royalties.

“This is what happens when you sign a deal at 15 to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept,” Swift said of Borchetta. “And when that man says, ‘Music has value,’ he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.”

Swift’s cry for help encourages fans to reach out to Braun, Borchetta and the artists they represent. And they responded; one even posted Borchetta’s cell phone number on Twitter.

I worked directly under the Borchetta family during my time at Big Machine and learned a lot. I was disappointed not to be offered full-time employment, though colleagues and mentors told me it was a blessing in disguise.

I gained great design projects for my portfolio, but those were centered on Swift, not the Borchettas, not Big Machine. Her heart for her art never comes before for the people around her. I was just an unpaid intern, but around Christmas, Swift placed a hand-tied bow on a personalized envelope that read “To Alyssa, From Taylor” — and it contained a small mint of cash. On several occasions, she invited us backstage at shows, and I met her parents.

Swift’s mother, Andrea, believed in Big Machine as much as her daughter did. It’s devastating to see personal trust be broken under a professional guise, especially for a remarkable artist who is also an extraordinary human being.

Alyssa McCraw is a freelance writer and reporter based in Fort Worth.

This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 10:31 AM.