Kelly Clarkson Encourages Taylor Swift to Re-Record Music Once Again: Opens Up to Jimmy Fallon

As we say goodbye to yet another weekend, it’s an exciting time for many TV fans because it means the start of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Expected to be a variety talk show, we know that Dwayne Johnson will appear in the first season after stepping in for Kevin Hart, who continues to recover after a horrific car accident. However, Clarkson is also getting attention for her support of Taylor Swift and the latter’s battle with record label and new owner, Big Machine Records and Scooter Braun.

With Jimmy Fallon’s special last night after the return of the football, Clarkson opened up about her suggestion which first found Twitter back in July. By re-recording her hit songs, it was suggested that Swift could regain control of her music.

In case you haven’t seen the story, Scooter Braun, talent manager, purchased the record label and paid around $300 million. As a result, Braun became the owner of all master copies of Swift’s music. Why is this important? Well, it means that Swift doesn’t have ownership and won’t make as much money (or perhaps get the respect she deserves) for songs she has been writing since an early age. According to Braun, he gave Swift the option of owning her masters before the acquisition, but she refused.

Following in Reba McEntire’s Footsteps

Thanks to Clarkson’s interview last night, we now know that the idea originated with country singer Reba McEntire. According to Clarkson, McEntire did the same thing when she wanted to own her master copies. Despite working with the exact same musicians and recording everything in the same way, it was effectively a new version and McEntire could sell her own versions without the intervention of the record label.

Bullying in Music and the Debate Over Ownership

Since Swift’s situation came to the public’s attention, there has been much debate over how music ownership works and how artists are treated in general. In fact, it’s something we’ve touched upon after Ariana Grande revealed the return of her mental health issues after a hectic tour.

In the past, Clarkson has been open about her experience with bullying in the industry. Clarkson went on to tell Fallon that she doesn’t own all of her masters. She now owns ‘half or a little more than half my stuff…somebody can make money off of it, I don’t care’. For Swift, the situation is slightly different since Braun now owns ALL of her work.

For those wanting something new to watch on TV, Kelly Clarkson has won a new audience with her support of Taylor Swift. She went on to say, ‘I stick up for everybody…hopefully they’ll be there for me when I need it.’ Swift hinted at following Clarkson’s advice in an interview last month, but we await to see whether this comes to fruition!