EXCLUSIVE
Let’s look at why Taylor Swift is in such a panic about performing at the American Music Awards.
The owners of her records (not her publishing rights) won’t let her play her old songs on the AMAs. They’ve got a year-long kind of non compete clause that prevents her from re-recording her old hits and putting out an album or whatever, DVD, CD. Unfortunately that year includes the AMAs, her Netflix special, and maybe even her four concert dates for next year.
That’s right. The lack of a real “Lover” tour has a lot to do with this. If she performs “Shake it Off” and “Red” et al everyone at those stadiums will record them. So there’s that.
But more concerning is that Taylor cannot perform the new “Lover” songs on the AMAs. That’s because she’s exclusive to the Grammy Awards on January 26th for those songs. Next week she’ll get a raft of Grammy nominations for the “Lover” album. And then she can’t perform that material anywhere before she goes on the Grammys– and likely wins a bunch, too.
CBS and the Grammys are depending on Swift doing one or two numbers on their show. Grammy performers are cut if they do the AMAs.
So this poses a big problem. If you can’t sing the old songs, and you can’t sing the new ones, what do you sing when you win the Lifetime Achievement Award at the AMAs?
And so Taylor is panicking, with good reason. Borchetta and Braun should just let her do it, and move on. But this is where push has come to shove. And Swift can’t agree to their demands.
This much we know: she’s never ever going to go out with them again!
