Swift recorded the biggest hits of her career for Big Machine, including “Shake It Off,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “Look What You Made Me Do.” Swift just released “Lover,” her first album since signing a new deal with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group. Universal also distributes music from Big Machine.
Typically in the music industry, artists who are just starting out in their careers will agree to give labels control over their recordings and songwriting in exchange for promoting them. But that can become a source of contention when artists make it big and want a heftier slice of the revenue from their hits. Musicians including Janet Jackson and Prince have had similar clashes with their labels.
The owner of a recording makes money from its play on radio, TV shows and streaming services. Those are different from publishing rights, which an owner can use to make money when a song is performed live.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.