Universals new contracts will make it more difficult for artists to rerecord their work

Universal Music Group is modifying its contracts to extend the period in which an artist can rerecord their music, The Wall Street Journal reported. The move comes after the success of Taylor Swift’s rerecorded albums and the music label’s effort to gain more rights from artists who decide to rerecord their work.

Before, a standard contract stated that an artist couldn’t rerecord their work five years after their last delivered recording or two years after the end of their contract term, whichever is later. The new format increases the time after recording to seven years and the time after a contract term to five years, WSJ says.

Swift owns the music composition rights to her music. Her first label, Big Machine Records, sold the rights...

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