Taylor Swift recovers her masters after a millionaire purchase, according to Billboard
Taylor Swift became the sole owner of her first six albums: Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation
Music superstar Taylor Swift, who became a billionaire last year, achieved a significant milestone in her career by regaining ownership of her master recordings.
According to Billboard, the singer reportedly paid around $360 million to buy back her music catalog, which includes her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation.
A battle for control of her music
The conflict over the rights to her masters began in 2019, when former manager Scooter Braun acquired the label Big Machine Records, the original owner of the recordings.
Swift, who did not have the opportunity to buy her music at the time, called the situation “devastating” and accused Braun of acting like a “bully.”
In 2020, Braun sold the rights to Shamrock Capital, but Swift continued her fight to regain control of her work. As a strategy, the Grammy winner began the process of re-recording her albums in 2021 under the name Taylor's Version, which allowed her to artistically reclaim her legacy.
A dream come true
Through an emotional message on her website, Swift shared her joy: “I have been breaking down in tears of joy since I found out this is actually happening. Now I can say these words: All the music I have ever created... belongs to me.”
Although Reputation (Taylor's Version) and her debut album have yet to be re-released, the artist assured that both will have their moment in the future. For his part, Braun, who had distanced himself from the conflict, told Page Six that he was “happy for her.”
In his letter, he stated that he tried – on more than one occasion – to re-record Reputation, but that he feared that it would not surpass the original version and therefore indicated that, in the future, it is possible that she will only release unreleased songs. Likewise, she expressed that if she releases a future album, she will do so with joy and not with longing for not having her first albums with her.
This agreement not only marks a personal triumph for Swift,but also reinforces her position as one of the most influential artists in the music industry, capable of redefining the terms of her own success.