Latest news with #Anti-Hero
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Selena Gomez Cheers On Taylor Swift As She Reclaims Her Music Catalog
After years of waiting, Taylor Swift finally has the rights to her music catalog again. On Friday, May 30, the "Mirrorball" singer revealed that Shamrock Capital had agreed to sell back the rights to her music with "no strings attached." A few hours after the "Anti-Hero" singer revealed that she was once again owned the rights to her old songs, music videos, and photography, her close friend Selena Gomez stepped up to show her support. "YES YOU DID THAT TAY!!!" she wrote on her Instagram Stories, adding, "SO proud!" The close friends have often shared their support with one another on social media, with Swift recently cheering on Gomez's latest album with her fiancé, . Earlier, in a post announcing their engagement, Swift commented, "yes I will be the flower girl," which sent fans into a frenzy. The news proved to be so popular that Swift's Instagram post received over five million likes within only three hours of publication. "taylor" started trending in the top spot on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, along with the title of one of her songs, "Better Than Revenge." Although comments on her Instagram post were disabled, her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce, dropped a subtle sign of support by "liking" her post, since he was unable to leave a comment. The post received many celebrities likes from her famous friends, many of whom have supported her throughout her journey to reclaim her music. The "Look What You Made Me Do" singer announced the good news in a long letter that she published on her website on the morning of Friday, May 30. In the letter, she thanked her fans for supporting her music and her wildly successful Eras Tour, which helped make the purchase possible. 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' she told her followers. 'To my fans, you know how important this has been to me – so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released 4 of my albums, calling them Taylor's Version.' Since Scooter Braun's acquisition in 2019, Swift has released 'Fearless (Taylor's Version),' 'Red (Taylor's Version),' "Speak Now (Taylor's Version),' and '1989 (Taylor's Version).' '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,' she continued. 'I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to but have never owned until now.' Now that she has the rights to her music back, many fans are wondering what will happen to the last two albums that she has yet to re-record: "Reputation" and her debut album. In her letter, she revealed that while she has completed re-recording her debut album, she has been struggling with "Reputation" and the memories that she associates with that era of her life. 'Full transparency: I haven't even re-recorded a quarter of it. 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 explained. 'All that defiance, that longing, to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief.' 'To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it,' she continued. 'Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to watch.' However, there is good news for fans hoping for a full re-release of her debut album. 'I've already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now,' she wrote. 'Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about.' 'But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have,' she added. 'It will just be a celebration now.'
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
What Taylor Swift buying her masters means for her — and the music industry
By now, we know all too well about the power of Taylor Swift. With her epic Eras Tour alone, the pop superstar went from crashing Ticketmaster to boosting the economy in every city she visited to going around the movie studio system for its theatrical concert film. But Swift's latest power move may be her biggest one yet: The 'Anti-Hero' singer finally bought back the master recordings of her first six studio albums — from her 2006 self-titled debut to 2017's 'Reputation.' Advertisement 4 'All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright,' wrote Taylor Swift in a letter to fans about getting her masters back. taylorswift/Instagram In 2019, Scooter Braun gained control of Swift's masters after he acquired her former label, Big Machine Records, which owned the rights. After attempts to buy back her catalog from Braun failed, Swift began re-recording her albums and releasing 'Taylor's Versions' of them, beginning with 'Fearless' and 'Red' in 2021 and then 'Speak Now' and '1989' in 2023. Then, in 2020, Braun turned around and sold Swift's Big Machine catalog to Shamrock Capital for reportedly over $300 million. Advertisement Five years later, though, Swift's music is now back where it belongs. 'All the music I've ever made … now belongs … to me,' she wrote in a letter to fans on her website. 'Every single era. My entire life's work.' Now, Swift's first six studio LPs have joined her last five recorded for Republic Records under her ownership. 4 Taylor Swift described buying the masters of her first six studio albums as 'my greatest dream come true.' taylorswift/Instagram Advertisement 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' she continued. 'All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy.' In an Instagram post proudly displaying her albums, Swift simply wrote, 'You belong with me.' It's a boss move that few in the music business — or any other entertainment field — could pull off, but Swift has the big bucks to do it, reportedly paying around $360 million, according to Billboard. 4 Taylor Swift hand-wrote a letter to fans on her website about the importance of getting her masters back. Taylor Swift Advertisement But it's the principle that probably mattered more to Swift than the money. She had already convinced her legions of Swifties to buy and stream the re-recorded versions of her first six albums, effectively devaluing her original masters. In fact, fans were hoping that she would announce the 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' release at Sunday's American Music Awards. 'Full transparency: I haven't even re-recorded a quarter of it,' she wrote in her letter while revealing that she has already re-recorded all of 2006's 'Taylor Swift.' Swift had started a movement with other artists such as Demi Lovato, Paramore and 98 Degrees following her lead. She even forced record labels to rework and rethink contracts to put stricter limits on re-recordings. 4 Before making her latest power move, Taylor Swift wrapped her epic Eras Tour last December in Vancouver. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management But for Swift, that wasn't enough. At a time when many artists are selling their catalogs for major money — from Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to Katy Perry and Justin Bieber — ownership meant everything to her. This was personal. And while it's not something that every act can afford or demand, it certainly makes a strong statement about the fundamental right of being in charge of the music that you create. For Swift, you can't really put a price on it — and she couldn't just shake it off. As a woman especially, Swift felt bullied by the men in the industry who didn't take her seriously enough and sought to control her. She took a stand against them that, with her enormous influence, greatly impacted and emboldened her largely female fan base. Advertisement As a businesswoman, Swift has always been savvy. And now this will be as much a part of her legacy as becoming the first artist to win four Album of the Year Grammys. She's in her Ownership Era now.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift finally got her masters back—and fans' celebrations are delightfully petty
Swifties are celebrating after Taylor Swift revealed that she finally regained ownership of her masters after six years of drama. Rumblings that the original recordings of Swift's first six albums were up for sale once again started earlier this month. On Friday, the "Anti-Hero" singer confirmed that her team had negotiated a deal for her to buy them back from Shamrock Capital. "I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening," she wrote in a letter shared to her website. "I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made… now belongs… to me. And all my music videos. All the concert films. The album art and photography. The unreleased songs. The memories. The magic. The madness. Every single era. My entire life's work." — (@) Swift losing the opportunity to purchase her masters has been a major plot point in the narrative of her life ever since Scooter Braun swooped in and purchased Big Machine — and the masters — for $330 million back in 2019. The two already were already known to have a contentious relationship, and his new ownership led to Swift re-recording four of the six albums to encourage fans' decision to boycott streaming the original recordings. Even Braun's decision to sell the masters to Shamrock in 2020 didn't end the standoff, as one of the conditions of the sale was that he continue to profit from them. In her letter, Swift expressed gratitude to Shamrock for how they handled the recent sale, calling their dealings "honest, fair, and respectful," and joking that "my first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead." — (@) Despite the joyous turn of events, it's clear that any bad blood between her and Braun still remains. Page Six previously claimed Braun was the one encouraging Shamrock to sell to Swift, but a source told People that he had absolutely no involvement in the deal. "This moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him," they said. It's given the celebration on Swift's behalf a delightfully petty bent to it, as fans simultaneously cheer on her success and Braun's continued slide into irrelevancy. — (@) "taylor got all her masters back and scooter got fired by all his A-list clients... THE WORLD IS HEALING." — (@) "taylor swift owning her master while justin bieber had to sell his, kanye at his lowest, kim irrelvant, and scooter braun going broke taylor swift always wins in the end" — (@) "and one last FUCK YOU to scooter braun and scott borchetta !!!!!!!!" — (@) "wishing scooter braun + scott borchetta an absolutely horrible day as always may everything continue to go wrong in your miserable lives for what you did!! xx" — (@) "me going to add again the original versions of all Taylor Swift albums to my Spotify library" At the time of purchase, Swift still has two more albums for which she intended to release re-recordings — her self-titled debut and 2017's Reputation. She also shared an update on where both of those currently stand, telling fans that her debut has been fully re-recorded but that she's barely gotten through a quarter of Reputation. And unfortunately for fans clamoring for the latter, it doesn't sound likely that's going to change any time soon. "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 admitted. "To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it… So I kept putting it off." However, Swift did hint that she may still share the unreleased tracks that didn't make the original album cut, and that fans shouldn't fully give up hope on hearing Taylor's Version of either her debut or Reputation just yet. "Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when they time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about," she said. "But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish i could have. It will just be a celebration now."
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Taylor Swift ‘finally' owns her masters 6 years after Scooter Braun drama: ‘My greatest dream come true'
You belong with me. Taylor Swift has revealed that she 'finally' owns her music catalogue six years after it was sold to Scooter Braun for a reported $300 million in June 2019. The 35-year-old pop superstar shared the news in an emotional announcement on Friday. 7 Taylor Swift has revealed that she 'finally' owns her music catalogue six years after it was sold to Scooter Braun. taylorswift/Instagram 7 Swift shared the news in an emotional announcement on Friday. taylorswift/Instagram 'Hi,' Swift began. 'I'm trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news.' 'All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through,' she continued in the lengthy letter posted to her website. 'I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled then yanked away. But that's all in the past now.' The 'Anti-Hero' songstress added that she has regained control of her 'entire life's work,' including not just her masters but also music videos, photos and unreleased songs. 7 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' the 'Love Story' singer wrote. Taylor Swift 'I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening,' she wrote. 'I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made… now belongs… to me.' 'And all my music videos,' Swift continued. 'All the concert films. The album art and photography. The unreleased songs. The memories. The magic. The madness. Every single era. My entire life's work.' Swift called the exciting news her 'greatest dream come true' and thanked her millions of fans for the 'passionate support' they gave her and her music over the past six years. 7 Swift now owns the masters to every album from 2006's 'Taylor Swift' to 2017's 'Reputation.' taylorswift/Instagram 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' she said. 'To my fans, you know how important this has been to me – so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released 4 of my albums, calling them Taylor's Version.' '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,' the 14-time Grammy Award-winning artist added. 'I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.' Swift then thanked Shamrock Capital, the private equity firm that acquired the master recordings of her first six albums from Braun's company, Ithaca Holdings, in 2020. 7 Scooter Braun bought Swift's first six albums for a reported $300 million in June 2019. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management 'All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy,' she said. 'I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me.' 'The way they've handled every interaction we've had has been honest, fair, and respectful,' the 'Love Story' singer wrote further. 'This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: My memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams.' 'I am endlessly thankful,' she added. 'My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.' 7 It is currently unclear how much the 14-time Grammy Award-winning artist bought her music catalogue back for. Getty Images for dcp Swift's six-year fight to regain control of her first six masters began in June 2019 when Braun, 43, purchased Big Machine Records. Swift was the first singer to sign on with BMR in 2005, and when Braun acquired the record label, he also acquired the masters to every album from 2006's 'Taylor Swift' to 2017's 'Reputation.' Braun, who has managed stars like Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, ultimately sold Swift's catalog to Shamrock Capital in November 2020. 7 Shamrock Capital, a private equity firm, bought Swift's music from Braun in November 2020. taylorswift/Instagram It is unclear how much Swift paid Shamrock Capital to regain control of her masters. Meanwhile, an insider familiar with the negotiations told People that, contrary to certain reports, Braun was in no way involved in the deal between the 'Shake It Off' singer and the private equity firm. 'Contrary to a previous false report, there was no outside party who 'encouraged' this sale,' the source said. 'All rightful credit for this opportunity should go to the partners at Shamrock Holdings and Taylor's Nashville-based management team only.' 'Taylor now owns all of her music, and this moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him,' they added.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Reveals Shamrock Capital Gave Her Back Control Of Her Music 'With No Strings Attached'
Fans of Taylor Swift are marking May 30 as a day of celebration! After several years of struggle, the "You Belong With Me" singer finally revealed that she has taken back ownership of her music catalog "with no strings attached." On Friday, May 30, the 'Love Story' singer posted a lengthy letter on her website. She addressed her fans, known as Swifties, with a simple, 'Hi,' before she began her letter by describing her thoughts as a 'slideshow.' 'I'm trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,' she wrote. 'A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news. All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through,' she continued. 'I almost stopped thinking it would ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,' the 'Anti-Hero' singer confessed. 'But that's all in the past now. 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 revealed. 'And all my music videos. All the concert films. The album art and photography. The unreleased songs. The memories. The magic. The madness. Every single era. My entire life's work.' 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' she confessed. 'To my fans, you know how important this has been to me – so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released 4 of my albums, calling them Taylor's Version.' '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,' she revealed. 'I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to but have never owned until now.' 'All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy,' she continued. 'I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me.' 'The way they've handled every interaction we've had has been honest, fair, and respectful,' she revealed. 'This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: my memory and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams. I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.' She also gave fans a hint about the status of "Reputation (Taylor's Version)," which may disappoint many Swifties. 'I know, I know. What about Rep TV? Full transparency: I haven't even re-recorded a quarter of it. 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 wrote. 'All that defiance, that longing, to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief.' 'To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it,' she confessed. 'Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to watch.' 'I've already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now,' she continued. 'Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about.' 'But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have,' she added. 'It will just be a celebration now.' 'I'm extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans,' she went on to write. '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. You'll never know how much it means to me that you cared. Every single bit of it counted and ended us up here,' she wrote. 'Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are,' she concluded, wrapping up her letter with 'Elated and amazed, Taylor.'
