Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008
Swift seated with a guitar in front of a microphone
Live album by
Taylor Swift
ReleasedApril 24, 2020 (2020-04-24)
RecordedJune 8, 2008
Genre
Length27:55
Label
Producer
Taylor Swift chronology
Lover
(2019)		 Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008
(2020)		 Lover (Live from Paris)
(2020)

Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 is the second live album featuring songs by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released by Big Machine Records on April 24, 2020, without Swift's approval. It was recorded in 2008 but only released after the masters to her older music had changed ownership in a 2019 purchase of Big Machine by American media proprietor Scooter Braun.[1] Swift denounced Live from Clear Channel on her social media accounts, calling it "shameless greed in the time of coronavirus" and asked fans not to buy or stream the album. Earning only 33 units in its first week in the United States, the live album was unsuccessful, and did not enter any domestic charts.[2]

Background and release

Scooter Braun seated in a chair onstage at a conference
Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine in 2019 and became the owner of the masters of Swift's pre-2018 albums. Big Machine, under Braun, released Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008

This release is not approved by me. It looks to me like Scooter Braun and his financial backers, 23 Capital, Alex Soros and the Soros family and the Carlyle Group have seen the latest balance sheets and realized that paying $330 million wasn't exactly a wise choice and they need money. In my opinion … Just another case of shameless greed in the time of coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent.

— Swift on her Instagram story, "Taylor Swift disowns new live album, calling it 'shameless greed'", The Guardian[3]

The album was recorded shortly after the beginning of Swift's professional career, while she was promoting her second studio album, Fearless (2008). The album is composed of songs from her first two studio albums and her second EP, Beautiful Eyes (2008). It was released on streaming platforms without any prior announcement on April 24, 2020.[4] According to Swift, the recording was made during a 2008 Clear Channel affiliates' Internet-only performance when she was 18 years old. In a social media post, Swift stated that she did not authorize the release,[5] calling it "just another case of shameless greed in the time of coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent."[3] Swift's statement also mentioned Braun's financial backers: 23 Capital, The Carlyle Group, and Alexander Soros and the Soros family, the last of which drew allegations in The Jerusalem Post that she was "reproducing antisemitic conspiracy theories" by associating Soros and Braun, who are both Jewish, with "greed and profiting off the pandemic".[6] Big Machine Records initially listed the record with a 2017 release date, but it was later adjusted to 2008 to reflect the fact that the recordings were available on Clear Channel websites in 2008.[7]

Critical reception

Music critic Quinn Moreland from Pitchfork wrote that Live from Clear Channel is predictable, failing to match the standards of Swift's past work, and dubbed it as a "cheap bootleg" and "a shameless cash-grab". Moreland commented that the unapproved release looks "eerily similar" to occasions when fake or leaked music appears on streaming services without the concerned artists' authorization—releases where "scammers hold the reins and the real creator never sees a dime".[8]

Commercial performance

Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 sold 33 units in the United States and the YouTube audio videos of its eight tracks accumulated 6,000 views combined in its first three days.[9] The commercial failure was attributed to Swift's denouncement of the album on her social media; the album did not enter any Billboard chart.[2]

Track listing

  1. "Love Story" (Swift) – 3:41
  2. "Fearless" (Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Swift) – 3:18
  3. "Beautiful Eyes" (Swift) – 2:56
  4. "Untouchable" (Swift, Cary Barlowe, Nathan Barlowe, and Tommy Lee James) – 3:42
  5. "Teardrops on My Guitar" (Swift and Rose) – 3:16
  6. "Picture to Burn" (Swift and Rose) – 2:53
  7. "Should've Said No" (Swift) – 3:48
  8. "Change" (Swift) – 4:18

Personnel

  • Taylor Swift – vocals, production, acoustic guitar (tracks: 2, 4), electric guitar (track 7)
  • Scott Borchetta – production, executive production
  • Ben Clark – banjo (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 8)
  • Chris Costello – recording supervision (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
  • Caitlin Evanson – fiddle, backing vocals (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Evan Harrison – production, executive production
  • Amos Heller – bass guitar (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Mike Meadows – banjo (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 8)
  • Grant Mickelson – acoustic guitar (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 8), bass guitar (track 6)
  • Jonathan Russell – mastering (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
  • Paul Sidoti – acoustic guitar (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7), electric guitar (track 8); backing vocals (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Al Wilson – drums (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (April 23, 2020). "Taylor Swift Decries Impending Release of Unauthorized 2008 Live Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. 1 2 McIntyre, Hugh (May 20, 2020). "Taylor Swift Fights Back Against Her Former Label with Her Latest Single Releases". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (April 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift Disowns New Live Album, Calling It 'Shameless Greed'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Clear Channel Debuts First Show in 'Stripped' Series". Billboard. May 24, 2005. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Taylor Swift: Scooter Braun paying $330m for Big Machine 'Wasn't Exactly a Wise Choice'". Music Business Worldwide. April 23, 2020. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  6. ↑ Burack, Emily (April 25, 2020). "Taylor Swift Calls Soros Family Shamelessly Greedy". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Cydney (April 23, 2020). "Taylor Swift Slams Big Machine's New Unauthorized Live Album as 'Shameless Greed'". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. ↑ Moreland, Quinn (April 27, 2020). "That 'New' Taylor Swift Live Album Feels Like the Unauthorized Cash Grab It Is". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  9. ↑ Friedman, Roger (April 27, 2020). "Taylor Swift 2008 Live Album, Which the Singer Protested, is A Bust with Just 33 Copies Streamed So Far". Music. Showbiz411. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
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