Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 is the second live album featuring songs by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released by Big Machine Records on April 24, 2020, without Swift's approval. It was recorded in 2008 but only released after the masters to her older music had changed ownership in a 2019 purchase of Big Machine by American media proprietor Scooter Braun.[1] Swift denounced Live from Clear Channel on her social media accounts, calling it "shameless greed in the time of coronavirus" and asked fans not to buy or stream the album. Earning only 33 units in its first week in the United States, the live album was unsuccessful, and did not enter any domestic charts.[2]
Background and release
Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine in 2019 and became the owner of the masters of Swift's pre-2018 albums. Big Machine, under Braun, released Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008
This release is not approved by me. It looks to me like 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 wasn't exactly a wise choice and they need money. In my opinion … Just another case of shameless greed in the time of coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent.
The album was recorded shortly after the beginning of Swift's professional career, while she was promoting her second studio album, Fearless (2008). The album is composed of songs from her first two studio albums and her second EP, Beautiful Eyes (2008). It was released on streaming platforms without any prior announcement on April 24, 2020.[4] According to Swift, the recording was made during a 2008 Clear Channel affiliates' Internet-only performance when she was 18 years old. In a social media post, Swift stated that she did not authorize the release,[5] calling it "just another case of shameless greed in the time of coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent."[3] Swift's statement also mentioned Braun's financial backers: 23 Capital, The Carlyle Group, and Alexander Soros and the Soros family, the last of which drew allegations in The Jerusalem Post that she was "reproducing antisemitic conspiracy theories" by associating Soros and Braun, who are both Jewish, with "greed and profiting off the pandemic".[6] Big Machine Records initially listed the record with a 2017 release date, but it was later adjusted to 2008 to reflect the fact that the recordings were available on Clear Channel websites in 2008.[7]
Music critic Quinn Moreland from Pitchfork wrote that Live from Clear Channel is predictable, failing to match the standards of Swift's past work, and dubbed it a "cheap bootleg" and "a shameless cash-grab". Moreland commented that the unapproved release looks "eerily similar" to occasions when fake or leaked music appears on streaming services without the concerned artists' authorization—releases where "scammers hold the reins and the real creator never sees a dime".[8]
Commercial performance
Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 sold 33 units in the United States and the YouTube audio videos of its eight tracks accumulated 6,000 views combined in its first three days.[9] The commercial failure was attributed to Swift's denouncement of the album on her social media; the album did not enter any Billboard chart.[2]
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