Overview

• Maron designated Swift’s bonus track “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” for a pivotal segment in his HBO special Panicked, which premieres August 1.
• After reaching out to co-writer Jack Antonoff, Maron negotiated through official licensing channels to secure permission.
• The $50,000 fee covers just one minute of the song and any additional usage would incur further charges.
• Maron said the song’s themes of loss and melancholy were essential to the bit and that he almost dropped it if Swift’s team hadn’t approved.
• Swift’s recent $360 million repurchase of her masters underscores the high costs and tight usage limits artists face when licensing popular tracks.