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Taylor Swift's American Music Awards Drama Isn't Over After All

Swift tweeted last week that she was being blocked from playing her older songs

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Megan Vick

Update 1:54 p.m. PT: Dick Clark Productions released a new statement to TV Guide contesting Big Machine's alleged joint statement earlier in the morning, "At no time did dick clark productions agree to, create, authorize or distribute a statement in partnership with Big Machine Label Group regarding Taylor Swift's performance at the 2019 American Music Awards. Any final agreement on this matter needs to be made directly with Taylor Swift's management team. We have no further comment."


The queen has won! Taylor Swift will be able to perform the show she wants at the American Music Awards later this month after a dispute with her former record label over the rights to perform her old music was made public last week. Big Machine Records has granted Swift the agreement she needs to perform a medley of her old songs at the award show on Sunday, Nov. 24, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Swift is set to receive the Artist of the Decade award at the AMAs and has said she was planning a medley performance of her biggest hits for the award show. However, the singer -- who has been very vocal about her disapproval of her old label, Big Machine Records, selling her back catalog to manager Scooter Braun earlier this year -- claimed on social media last week that Braun and her former label were attempting to block her from playing songs they own the rights to.

According to Swift, Braun and Big Machine's founder, Scott Borchetta, claimed that her performance at the AMAs, and a Netflix documentary Swift has in the works, would count as the singer recording new versions of her songs before she is allowed to do so under her new record contract next year. Swift alleged that they would only allow her to perform the songs if she promised to stop badmouthing Braun and Borchetta.

Big Machine responded with their own statement, claiming they never tried to stop Swift's performance.

"At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs. In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere," the statement read in part. "Since Taylor's decision to leave Big Machine last fall, we have continued to honor all of her requests to license her catalog to third parties as she promotes her current record, in which we do not financially participate."

However, on Monday, Big Machine released another statement saying that the record label and Dick Clark Productions, which produces the AMAs, had reached an agreement. The deal "approves [Big Machine]'s artists' performances to stream post show and for re-broadcast on mutually approved platforms," clearing Swift to perform her old hits like "Love Story," "You Belong with Me," "Mine," and "Shake It Off."

The American Music Awards will air live on Sunday, Nov. 24 on ABC at 8/7c.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift

Emma McIntyre, Getty Images For dcp