8 Nov 2023

Artists re-recording their music: Taylor Swift is not the first to do it 

From Nine To Noon, 11:05 am on 8 November 2023

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Montage of artists

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It's been a big year for Taylor Swift - she's become a billionaire, and this week her latest release 1989 (Taylor's Version) became the fastest-selling vinyl record since the statistic was first tracked in 1991.

So why do artists re-release their songs?

Music commentator Dave Wilson joins Kathryn to talk about the phenomenon and play examples of some tracks that were re-recorded  - sometimes with decades in between. What are the subtle, or not so subtle differences? (Sorry Swifties, no Tay Tay today).

Dave Wilson is musician, composer, and ethnomusicologist, a senior lecturer at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington.