Taylor Swift Cleared to Perform Old Songs at AMAs Even Though She Was Never Blocked From Performing Them In The First Place

Taylor Swift has the green light from Big Machine Label Group and dick clark productions to perform old music from her Big Machine catalogue at the upcoming American Music Awards, where she'll be honored as Artist of the Decade.

In a statement to Billboard that does not mention Swift by name, the two companies said they have "come to terms on a licensing agreement that approves their artists’ performances to stream post show and for re-broadcast on mutually approved platforms. This includes the upcoming American Music Awards performances."

The statement continues, "It should be noted that recording artists do not need label approval for live performances on television or any other live media. Record label approval is only needed for contracted artists' audio and visual recordings and in determining how those works are distributed."

Last week, Swift penned a letter on social media claiming that Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun, whose Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine (and Swift's entire six-album catalog with the label) in June, are blocking her planned performance of a medley of her earlier hits at the AMAs because "that would be re-recording my music before I'm allowed to next year." She added that the two execs were also preventing her from using Big Machine-era recordings in a forthcoming Netflix documentary.

Swift also claimed Borchetta said that the projects would only be cleared if she agreed not to re-record her Big Machine catalogue next year.

Both sides have been going back-and-forth since, with Big Machine maintaining that the company has not tried to prevent Swift's performance, and that her narrative "does not exist." Rather, Big Machine says the disagreement is over an unresolved payment issue between the two parties (Swift's team has disputed that claim, too). 

Read the full statement from Big Machine below.

The Big Machine Label Group and Dick Clark Productions announce that they have come to terms on a licensing agreement that approves their artists’ performances to stream post show and for re-broadcast on mutually approved platforms. This includes the upcoming American Music Awards performances. It should be noted that recording artists do not need label approval for live performances on television or any other live media.  Record label approval is only needed for contracted artists' audio and visual recordings and in determining how those works are distributed.