Taylor Swift says will re-record songs to regain control of catalog

NEW YORK - Ahead of Friday's release of her album "Lover" pop star Taylor Swift is floating plans to re-record her early albums to have the last word in a rights dispute over her music.

The news reignites Swift's battle with industry mogul Scooter Braun -- who recently purchased Big Machine Label Group through his company Ithaca Holdings in a reported $300 million deal -- thereby obtaining majority ownership of Swift's master recordings.

The owner of coveted masters -- one-of-a-kind source material used to create vinyls, CDs and digital copies -- is able to dictate how songs are re-produced and sold.

When news of the deal broke in June Swift, 29, said it "stripped me of my life's work."

Now the chart-topper says she's going to regain control: asked about the possibility of recording her first six multi-platinum albums in an interview with CBS to air Sunday morning, Swift said the option was likely.

Asked "might you do that?," she replied, "Oh, yeah," in a teaser of the interview.

"That's a plan?" the interview follows up, to which Swift says, "Yeah, absolutely." 

The dramatic move could be complicated by time restrictions in her early contracts -- she first signed with Big Machine Label Group in 2005, when she was still a teenager -- but not impossible.

Swift is credited as a lead writer for essentially all of her back catalog, meaning she could record covers of sorts without needing access to the masters.

Her previous contracts aren't public, but typical time restrictions prevent artists from putting out re-recorded work for three to five years from its initial release. Swift's eponymous debut came out in 2006, while her last album with the Nashville-based label dropped in 2017.

Last year, the superstar signed a new deal with Republic Records and Universal Music Group.

Swift's astronomic wealth and deep network in the music industry would also help, as she would need support from her past collaborators on songs to make them competitive with her original versions.

Earlier this summer, singer Kelly Clarkson urged Swift to re-record songs whose masters she doesn't own, tweeting that she should "put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions."

"I'd buy all of the new versions just to prove a point," Clarkson said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Celine Dion, John Legend to perform at Aretha Franklin tribute concert

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend will be among a host of singers to perform at a tribute concert for the late Aretha Franklin in January, the Recording Academy and other groups announced on Thursday.

Alicia Keys, Yolanda Adams, Patti Labelle and Janelle Monae will also do songs from the repertoire of the Queen of Soul at the concert, to be hosted by filmmaker Tyler Perry on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.

Franklin, an 18-time Grammy winner and considered by many the greatest U.S. gospel and soul singer, died in August of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. Her six-hour long funeral in her Detroit hometown, featuring tributes by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and dozens of singers, was broadcast live on U.S. television.

The tribute concert in Los Angeles is a joint venture of the Recording Academy, which selects Grammy winners, Franklin’s long-time record producer Clive Davis, concert promoter AEG, and CBS television. The concert will be shown on CBS television at a later date still be announced.

“Aretha was more than the Queen of Soul; she was a national treasure. This unique concert, featuring many of today’s greatest artists, will celebrate Aretha in a spectacular manner befitting her once-in-a-lifetime talent,” Davis said in a statement.

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Dec 31.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Steve Orlofsky

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pop star Kelly Clarkson announces engagement

LOS ANGELES -- Kelly Clarkson, who became the first contestant to win "American Idol" a decade ago and went on to several chart-topping successes, has gotten engaged to her boyfriend, the singer said in a Twitter message on Saturday.

Clarkson, 30, previously revealed she had been dating talent manager Brandon Blackstock since early this year. Blackstock is the stepson of country singer Reba McEntire.

"I'M ENGAGED!" Clarkson said on Twitter. "I wanted y'all to know!! Happiest night of my life last night!"

 She then followed that by posting a link to a photo of her canary yellow diamond engagement ring on a website. She wrote that her boyfriend helped design it and that she "can't wait to make Brandon's ring."

Clarkson's album "Stronger" hit No. 2 last year on the Billboard 200 sales chart, and she in previous years topped pop charts with her songs "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "A Moment Like This."

The Texas-born singer won the Fox television singing contest "American Idol" in the show's debut year in 2002, and has had more success than many of the show's stars from following years.

Clarkson has burnished an image as an artist willing to speak her mind, even confessing to feelings of loneliness.

Last month, in an appearance on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show," Clarkson said she had been dating Blackstock since earlier this year and was thankful to have him.

"I am not alone for the first time for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'm very happy," she said on the show.

In the same November appearance, Clarkson said she expected to get engaged to Blackstock. "We will totally, probably elope," she told DeGeneres.

source: abs-cbnnews.com