Taylor Swift Buys Back the Rights to Her First Six Albums for $360 Million—More Than Three Times Value of Her Real Estate Portfolio

Yahoo

a day ago

Popstar Taylor Swift has bought back the rights to her first six albums in an historic deal that is reported to have cost the chart-topper a staggering $360 million—after a years-long fight in which she battled to regain control of her entire song catalog.
The 35-year-old 'Love Song' singer revealed the happy news in a letter shared on her website, in which she explained that she reached a deal with Shamrock Capital to take ownership of the music, describing it as her 'greatest dream' coming true.
'I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made… now belongs… to me,' she said in the letter.
Her announcement comes after a fraught few years, during which Swift's first six albums were sold out from under her to Justin Bieber's longtime manager, Scooter Braun, by her former record label, Big Machine, a deal that saw her taking drastic action by re-recording the albums included in the contract and releasing them as part of a 'Taylor's Version' collection.
'To my fans, you know how important this has been to me—so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released four of my albums, calling them 'Taylor's Version,'' the hitmaker went on in her letter.
'The passionate support you showed those albums and the success story you turned The Eras Tour into is why I was able to buy back my music. I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with the art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.'
Swift's first six albums—'Taylor Swift,' 'Fearless,' 'Speak Now,' 'Red,' '1989,' and 'Reputation'—were initially sold to Shamrock by Braun's company, Hybe, in a $300 million deal in 2019.
Although Swift did not reveal the amount she paid to claim back the rights to the recordings, Billboard reported that the singer paid close to the $360 million mark for all six albums—more than four times the value of her enormous property portfolio, but just a fraction of her estimated $1.6 billion fortune.
Thus far, the pop princess, who is currently dating NFL pro Travis Kelce, has re-recorded four of the six albums as 'Taylor's Versions,' with fans clamoring for her to move onto one of her most popular, 'Reputation.'
However, in her letter, Swift admitted that she hadn't even recorded a quarter of the album.
'The 'Reputation' album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it,' she confessed.
'There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for the unreleased vault tracks from that album to hatch,' she added.
Swift noted that she may also release a 'Taylor's Version' of her debut album, but only 'when the time is right.'
'I'm extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans,' she continued.
'Every time a new artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I'm reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen. Thank you for being curious about something that used to be thought of as too industry-centric for broad discussion.
'Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are.'
Although the exact figure that Swift paid for her six master albums, the estimated cost is staggering—almost four times the value of her extravagant $100 million property portfolio.
The songstress boasts almost as many homes as she does albums, having built up an incredible collection of properties during her legendary career—from Nashville to New York City.
One of the first properties Swift snapped up was a chic penthouse in Nashville's Music Row, which she purchased for $1.9 million in 2009.
The penthouse sprawls across 3,240 square feet and boasts three bedrooms, high ceilings, and an open floor plan.
It also comes complete with a heated resort-style pool.
Two years later, Swift snapped up a mansion in the Northumberland Estate neighborhood of Nashville for $2.5 million.
The property measures 5,600 square feet and comes complete with four bedrooms and five bathrooms.
A 2,000-square-foot guesthouse sits adjacent to the abode.
Swift also holds the keys to a luxurious Beverly Hills, CA, home, which she purchased in 2015 for $25 million. The lavish spread was once owned by movie producer Samuel Goldwyn, co-founder of Goldwyn Pictures.
The home, which sits on 2 acres and offers over 10,000 square feet of living space, has been described in the listing as the 'epitome of cordial grace and distinguished heritage.'
Highlights of the eye-catching home include seven bedrooms, a guest suite, a screening room, and a gym. The parklike grounds offer up a championship tennis court, rose garden, pool, and pool house.
In 2014, Swift turned her sights to New York City as she snapped up two penthouses in the chic Tribeca neighborhood for about $20 million and combined them into a nine-bedroom, nine-bath abode with beamed ceilings, a curved staircase, and enormous windows.
She purchased a third unit in the building a few years later for $9.75 million, increasing her Tribeca takeover by over 3,500 square feet.
Then, in 2017, the pop star splurged on an adjacent townhouse, paying $18 million for the three-story mansion measuring 5,000 square feet, which joins her growing urban empire.
While her Tribeca pad was undergoing renovation, she resided in a West Village townhouse, which she reportedly paid $38,000 a month to live in from 2016-2017.
The rental boasts 5,500 square feet, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, two powder rooms, a kitchen, a rooftop, and an indoor pool.
In 2013, Swift garnered a $17.75 million beachside estate in Rhode Island, which quickly became her go-to vacation getaway.
The residence—which is located in the exclusive enclave of Watch Hill in Westerly and is known locally as 'Holiday House'—currently sprawls across 11,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
However, it was previously revealed that Swift had plans to renovate the abode to expand it with an additional bedroom, while transforming one of the existing rooms into an 'enlarged bedroom suite.'
In total, the project will add 400 square feet to the property.
It is unclear when the construction will begin. However, the renovation plans were drawn up on Nov. 25 and Dec. 4, 2024, before Swift's final 'Eras Tour' show on Dec. 8, with an expiration date of Dec. 4, 2025.
The renovation will be completed by a team of Rhode Island–based contractors, led by David W. Shafovaloff, who is located in Hope Valley and describes himself on LinkedIn as a 'self employed construction project manager' who specializes in 'high end residential and commercial construction.'
In addition to its many bedrooms and bathrooms, Swift's opulent home currently features a 36-foot-long parlor and an octagonal dining room.
The extravagant seaside estate was built in 1930 and once belonged to composer and socialite Rebekah Harkness, who was married to William Hale 'Bill' Harkness.
Swift's abode has been described as the ultimate getaway, offering '700 feet of private beachfront' and eight fireplaces, per its original listing.
Then, of course, there is the celebrity cachet that Swift's ownership of the home has added. Over the years, the property has played host to many of Swift's star-studded events, including her iconic Fourth of July parties, which have welcomed a long list of A-listers such as Selena Gomez and Blake Lively.
More recently, Swift and Kelce were seen lounging around her Rhode Island home with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in August 2024, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs star's teammate Patrick Mahomes and his brother, Jason Kelce.
At the time, an insider detailed Swift's love of the property, revealing that the star wants to spend 'more time' and be more 'grounded' at the beachside estate in the future.
'Taylor has been on tour and working nonstop, and she loves the Rhode Island house and wanted to spend some time there while the weather is still good and she can enjoy it,' the source explained.
'It has felt wonderful to be grounded back home again. It's been grounding to see friends and family and spend quality time with everyone, chat and get downloaded on everyone's worlds because she has been so busy and disconnected.'
It is also the home Swift opted to sit back and relax at after 'The Eras Tour' ended.
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