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 realised 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.

— Swift on her Instagram story, "Taylor Swift disowns new live album, calling it 'shameless greed'", The Guardian[2]

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.[3] 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,[4] calling it "just another case of shameless greed in the time of coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent."[2] 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 from 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".[5] 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.[6]

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 as 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".[7]

Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 sold 33 units in the United States and the YouTube audio videos of its tracks accumulated 6,000 views combined in its first three days. The meager commercial performance was attributed to Swift's denouncement of the album on her social media;[8] the album did not enter any Billboard chart.[9]

1. "Love Story" (Swift) – 3:41
2. "Fearless" (Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Swift) – 3:18
3. "Beautiful Eyes" (Swift) – 2:56
4. "Untouchable" (Swift, Cary Barlowe, Nathan Barlowe, and Tommy Lee James) – 3:42
5. "Teardrops on My Guitar" (Swift and Rose) – 3:16
6. "Picture to Burn" (Swift and Rose) – 2:53
7. "Should've Said No" (Swift) – 3:48
8. "Change" (Swift) – 4:18

• Taylor Swift – vocals, production, acoustic guitar (tracks: 2, 4), electric guitar (track 7)
• Scott Borchetta – production, executive production
• Ben Clark – banjo (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 8)
• Chris Costello – recording supervision (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
• Caitlin Evanson – fiddle, backing vocals (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• Evan Harrison – production, executive production
• Amos Heller – bass guitar (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• Mike Meadows – banjo (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 8)
• Grant Mickelson – acoustic guitar (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 8), bass guitar (track 6)
• Jonathan Russell – mastering (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
• Paul Sidoti – acoustic guitar (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7), electric guitar (track 8); backing vocals (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• Al Wilson – drums (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)

• List of 2020 albums

• Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 at Discogs