Re-recording (music)

A re-recording is a recording produced following a new performance of a work of music. This is most commonly, but not exclusively, by a popular artist or group. It differs from a reissue, which involves a second or subsequent release of a previously-recorded piece of music.

Re-recordings are often produced decades after the original recordings were released, usually under contract terms more favorable to the artists. This is especially common among acts that originally agreed to contracts that would be considered unfair and exploitative today.[1] When re-recordings are issued under newer contracts, artists can collect far higher royalties for use in films, commercials, and movie trailers.[1] Other acts re-record their work for artistic reasons. Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra released a solo best-of album with new versions of previous hits like "Mr. Blue Sky", the original of which Lynne described as "[not] quite how I meant it".[2] Some artists, such as Taylor Swift and Def Leppard, re-recorded their music because of disputes with their labels.[3]

Re-recordings commonly appear in online music stores and streaming services, such as the iTunes Store and Spotify.[1]

Examples

• Throughout the 1960's and 1970's, K-tel released music compilations including re-recordings of songs by the original artists.[4]
• Cleopatra Records is an American record label that has also released compilation albums with re-recordings of songs, through its sublabels X-Ray Records and Goldenlane Records.
• Curb Records has also released re-recordings of songs by country singers from the 1960's and 1970's.
• A few artists have re-recorded their songs for the Guitar Hero video game franchise, including Living Colour, Sex Pistols, Aerosmith, MC5, Motorhead, Third Eye Blind, Spacehog, Love and Rockets, Alice Cooper, and The Runaways. According to Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, the original master tapes for the songs, which contained multitracks for the instruments, had been lost.[5] For "Kick Out the Jams", MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer teamed up with guitarists Jerry Cantrell and Gilby Clarke to re-record the song using the original voice track of Rob Tyner, who had died in 1991.[6]
• In December 2018, Jojo re-recorded her Blackground Records albums because of a dispute with the label.
• In August 2019, Taylor Swift announced that she plans on re-recording her Big Machine Records albums because of a dispute with the label's new owner Scooter Braun.[7] On December 2, 2020, Swift previewed the re-recording of her song "Love Story" in an advertisement for Match.com.[8]
• Def Leppard re-recorded many of their greatest hits because of a dispute with Universal Music Group.[9]
• When The Everly Brothers signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1960, they re-recorded their Cadence Records catalogue for a greatest hits album, which Warner profited from after Cadence went out of business.[10]

References

1. Mandl, Dave (May 10, 2013). "Same old song? Not exactly". Slate. The Slate Group LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
2. Pattison, Louis (October 19, 2012). "From Patrick Wolf to Def Leppard, why do artists keep re-recording their old hits?". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/arts/music/taylor-swift-rerecord-albums.html
4. "The New K-Tel". by Matt Ashare. in SPIN Media LLC (December 1999). SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 76–. ISSN 0886-3032.
5. https://www.engadget.com/2007-09-25-sex-pistols-reunite-to-record-guitar-hero-3-track.html
6. https://kotaku.com/wayne-kramer-sex-pistols-and-motorhead-re-record-for-5044831
7. "Taylor Swift Says She'll Re-Record Her Catalog After Scooter Braun Deal". Billboard.
8. Shaffer, Claire (December 2, 2020). "Taylor Swift Drops Her First Re-Recorded Song -- in an Ad for Match".
9. "Def Leppard Re-Recording 'Forgeries' of Old Hits". Rolling Stone. July 3, 2012.
10. https://wdet.org/posts/2020/12/11/90388-what-do-taylor-swift-the-everly-brothers-and-def-leppard-have-in-common