Taylor Swift to get back together with her old songs

Just when Taylor Swift thought she would never ever, ever get back together with her beloved back catalogue, her former record label has struck a deal allowing her to perform her old songs at the American Music Awards (AMAs).

Fans of the star were preparing themselves for disappointment over a planned set at the event this Sunday, where she was hoping to belt out several of her biggest hits to celebrate being crowned artist of the decade.

Swift looked set to be denied the chance to play her previous tracks due to a row with music manager Scooter Braun, whose company purchased her former record label – Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) – earlier this year.

The dispute saw Swift post a call to arms on social media in a bid to win the right to sing her old songs at the AMAs, and her efforts appear to have paid off.

In a statement that does not mention Swift by name, BMLG revealed it had reached an agreement with AMAs producer Dick Clark Productions to allow the 29-year-old to perform her old songs.

“The BMLG informed Dick Clark Productions today that they have agreed to grant all licenses of their artists’ performances to stream post show and for re-broadcast on mutually approved platforms,” it said.

“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.”

Swift, whose appeal attracted more than 279,000 retweets on Twitter, has not commented on the development, which will mean she can perform popular tracks like Shake It Off and 22.

Her first six albums are all owned by BMLG, which she left last year to sign with Universal Music Group (UMG) and secure ownership of future work.

Swift has previously announced her intention to re-record her previous hits to gain the copyright to those tracks too, which she said was used by Mr Braun and Mr Borchetta as an attempt to blackmail her.

In her social media post last week, Swift accused the men of “exercising tyrannical control” over her, adding that they had told her team she would only be allowed to use her old music if she agreed not to re-record it all.

“The message being sent to me is very clear,” she said.

“Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished. This is WRONG. Neither of these men had a hand in the writing of these songs. They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans.”

Mr Braun, whose clients include Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande has previously denied there was “malicious intent” behind his purchase of BMLG.

Speaking on the Wide Open podcast in September, Mr Braun said: “I don’t do anything with malicious intent. I try to do things above board. I try to do the right thing. Not everyone’s going to be happy with everything that you do, and I think in the long-term – I’ve learned this over time – the truth always comes out, and I’m confident in that.”

It is not clear whether BMLG has also backtracked on the release of a Netflix documentary about Swift’s life and career, which would feature old music and performance footage.

The film had not been announced before her statement, and Swift admitted to her fans “this isn’t the way I had planned on telling you this news”.

She said the documentary had been filmed over the course of the “past few years”.

The 10-time Grammy winner, who is currently in a relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn, only owns the rights to her most recent album Lover – the first she has released since signing with UMG.