Taylor Swift is making moves. While things are still unresolved between the singer and her former record label, Big Machine Records, she's paving the way for a better, extremely on-brand future. According to Variety, she's signed an exclusive global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group, putting both her publishing and record deals under the same parent company, and what's more, she's doing it with the first woman to run a major music publishing company, Jody Gerson.
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This aspect is important to Swift, who framed her issues with Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta and new owner Scooter Braun as a symbol of how the music industry can take advantage of women. Her song "The Man," which we learned more about in Netflix documentary Miss Americana, also speaks to the stigma against powerful women.
"I’m proud to extend my partnership with Lucian Grainge and the Universal Music family by signing with UMPG,” Swift wrote in a statement about the move, later adding, "Jody is an advocate for women’s empowerment and one of the most-respected and accomplished industry leaders."
Previously, Swift was signed with Sony/ATV for music publishing rights (which covers a song's composition) and had moved to Republic Records (which covers a song's recording) from Big Machine in 2018. Now, both her music publisher and record label are under Universal. This move also reunites Swift with Troy Tomlinson, who was previously head of Sony/ATV and worked with Swift since she was 14, before leaving for UMPG in 2019.
"Taylor’s songs, vision, and unwavering determination have always been an inspiration," he said in a statement. "I am so happy and so proud to continue representing Taylor and her music, and I am confident that UMPG will be the best, most creative partner in providing unparalleled opportunities for her songs."
I think this means it's appropriate to start hoping for TS8.