Taylor Swift slams Big Machine release of her old live performances as 'shameless greed'

The battle of music rights between Taylor Swift and Big Machine Label Group continues.

On Thursday, the pop superstar blasted her former record label for compiling an album of live performances from a show Swift did in 2008, when she was just 18.

Addressing her fans Thursday in a message posted to her Instagram Story, Swift wrote, "I'm always honest with you guys about this stuff so I just wanted to tell you that this release is not approved by me. It looks to me like [Big Machine owner] Scooter Braun and his financial backers, 23 Capital, Alex Soros and the Soros family and The Carlyle Group have seen the latest balance sheets and realized that paying $330 MILLION for my music wasn't exactly a wise choice and they need money."

She went on to characterize the album release as "just another case of shameless greed in the time of Coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent."

A representative for Big Machine did not immediately respond to request for comment; a representative for Swift declined to comment on the matter.

Eagle-eyed Swift fans first noticed the new song collection, which has been dubbed Live From Clear Channel Stripped 2008. Swift noted that the release date on the recordings is listed as 2017, "but they're actually releasing it tonight at midnight." (The album appears to have been released already in Australia and other international markets.)

Swift famously slammed Braun's 2019 purchase of Big Machine, and with it the masters to her first six albums. (Her most recent album, Lover, was released under her new deal with Universal Music Group.) Swift's critique of the new album marks the latest in a string of clashes between her, Big Machine, and Braun.

See a screenshot of Swift's full statement about the new album below.

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