Swift’s first album on Big Machine, her self-titled debut, came out in 2006, while her most recent, “Reputation,” was released in 2017. In theory, should her contracts have time restrictions in place, she could begin releasing new versions on rolling basis, starting at the beginning.

In an appearance Thursday on “Good Morning America,” Swift alluded to these contract restrictions more specifically: “My contract says that starting November 2020, so next year, I can record albums one through five all over again,” she said. “It’s next year, it’s right around the corner — I’m going to be busy, I’m excited.”

“I think that artists deserve to own their work,” she added. “I just feel very passionately about that.”

What would this look like in practice?

Taking into consideration any restrictions, Swift could opt to rerecord entire albums, or start with her most-played singles. Those updated versions might then be released in physical forms, as new merchandise, or be uploaded to streaming services alongside the originals, leaving listeners the choice of whether to listen to “Love Story” or, say, “Love Story (2020 Version)” on Spotify or Apple Music. (Via her publishing contracts as a songwriter, Swift could also urge anyone looking to license her songs in the future to take her new renditions instead of the Big Machine versions.)

In an interesting twist, Swift’s current label and distributor, Universal, is also the distributor of Big Machine, which could leave the corporation competing against itself.

At the same time, any attention given to the rereleases could rub off on the old versions, helping the bottom line of Braun, Borchetta and Big Machine. “I think there will be some benefit to the original streaming masters as people go and compare,” Tavern said. “I don’t think that people are going to stop streaming those masters.”