Latest news with #BigMachineRecords
The Citizen
33 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
‘All of the music I've ever made belongs to me' : Taylor Swift wins long battle to own masters
Taylor Swift has been embroiled in a longstanding battle with Big Machine Records since 2019, following her decision to leave the label. Taylor Swift has celebrated the re-purchasing of the masters of her first six albums. Picture: taylorswift /Instagram Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has repurchased the masters of all six albums she released under the record label, Big Machine Records. 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' wrote the singer in a letter shared on her website. The multi-award-winning singer-songwriter has been in a longstanding battle with Big Machine Records since 2019 after she decided to leave the label. A master recording is the original version of a song from which all copies are made. The owner holds the exclusive rights to use, license, and profit from the recording. That includes distributing it to streaming services, pressing new physical CDs and vinyl, creating box sets, or licensing songs to movies or video games. ALSO READ: Taylor Swift's 10th album 'Midnights' crashes Spotify Taylor's fight for her masters After Taylor decided to leave Big Machine Records, artist manager Scooter Braun acquired the masters to Taylor's first six albums, which essentially meant that he was now in control of all her early work; this never sat well with Taylor, as she had tried to buy the Masters from the record company. Taylor expressed her frustration with Braun and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta through Tumblr posts in 2019. Fellow singer and now TV host Kelly Clarkson advised Taylor to re-record her first album so she can own the new material. @taylorswift13 just a thought, U should go in & re-record all the songs that U don't own the masters on exactly how U did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions. I'd buy all of the new versions just to prove a point 💁🏼♀️ July 13, 2019 'It's something that I'm very excited about doing because my current contract says that starting November 2020—so next year—I can record albums one through five all over again. I'm very excited about it because I think that artists deserve to own their work. I just feel very passionately about that,' she said in a 2019 interview, confirming the re-recording of the work. Later on that year, the American Music Awards (AMA) awarded Taylor the Artist of the Decade award, which meant she'd have to perform some of her old material. 'I've been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show. Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have now said that I'm not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be rerecording my music before I'm allowed to next year.' However, the record company denied this, saying, 'At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs or block her Netflix special. In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere.' Taylor has released four re-recorded albums, known as Taylor's Versions, featuring dozens of bonus tracks and supplementary material. ALSO READ: WATCH: What to expect from the Taylor Swift tribute show Victory, finally In her letter, Taylor expressed joy in the ownership of her music after years of fighting. 'All the times I was thiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that's all in the past now,' she wrote. 'I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening.' ALSO READ: PICTURES: Behind the scenes at Taylor Swift tribute show Industry modus operandi Around 2020, when Taylor was pursuing her master's, South Africa's Black Coffee acquired a significant stake in Mzansi's oldest independent record company, Gallo Music Investments (GMI). The purchase was made through his investment company, FlightMode Digital, for an undisclosed amount. Earlier that year, Gallo was acquired by Lebashe Investment Group from Tiso Blackstar for R75 million, incorporating it into the news and entertainment business Arena Holdings. The Grammy Award-winning producer described this as a shift in the landscape of both the South African and African music industries. 'The partnership with Lebashe to invest in the catalogue and masters is more than just a business transaction – it's about creating an environment in which artists and creatives have a truly equitable stake. It is also the beginning of an industry revolution where African artists are part of structures that are fair and encourage new ways to monetise content,' said Black Coffee in a statement. Gallo owns the catalogues of renowned South African musicians, including Lucky Dube, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Mango Groove, among its long list of stalwarts. In 2020, contrary to Taylor's ongoing fight, rap artist Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music for $100 million (approximately R1.7 billion). Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie are other notable artists who have sold their entire catalogue to giant record companies. NOW READ: Kelvin Momo releases album amid speculation about his involvement at this year's Redbull Symphonic
News18
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Why Taylor Swift Is ‘Keeping Her Distance' From Blake Lively
Last Updated: Baldoni's lawyers issued a subpoena against Taylor, which demanded she take the stand and testify in court. Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's long-standing friendship is reportedly facing turbulence following legal complications involving actor-director Justin Baldoni. According to reports, Baldoni's legal team issued a subpoena against Swift, pulling her into the ongoing lawsuit between him and Lively. Swift, who is also the godmother to Lively's four children, has not been publicly seen with her longtime friend since the legal conflict began, leaving fans speculating whether the two have reconciled. Sources told US Weekly that Swift was previously described as one of Blake's most powerful allies. However, the singer reportedly prefers to stay out of the legal drama. The inclusion of Swift's name in court documents is said to have placed a strain on her relationship with both Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. A source close to the situation added, 'There has been radio silence between the two. They're not yet ready to pick up where they left off." During the filming of It Ends With Us, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against her co-star and the film's director, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of harassment, inappropriate physical contact, and misconduct. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively. Amid the escalating legal battle, Baldoni's legal team issued a subpoena against Taylor Swift, requesting her to testify in court. However, the lawyers later stated that they had already obtained the necessary information from the singer and did not pursue her further. According to US Weekly, Swift's father had voluntarily shared information with Baldoni's team in an effort to keep his daughter out of the legal mess. Despite once being referred to as one of Blake's strongest allies, the Karma singer chose to remain uninvolved. Insiders claimed that this decision is what led to a deeper rift between Swift and Lively, with 'radio silence" reportedly continuing between the two. Amidst such tough times, Taylor Swift recently celebrated her victory as she put an end to the legal saga with Scooter Braun, which began in 2019. Taylor was ultimately able to buy back all her master albums, including her first six albums, from Big Machine Records at a significantly expensive deal. First Published:
ABC News
2 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
BTN Newsbreak 02/06/2025
TAYLOR SWIFT Some of Taylor Swift's old albums are back in the music charts today, after she bought back the rights to all of her music! As of the 31st of May 2025, she officially owns all of the music she's ever made after buying the rights to the master recordings of her first 6 albums. This also includes all her music videos, concert films, album art and photography and unreleased songs! Yep, it's a dream she's been chasing for years. See, Taylor Swift says wasn't given the opportunity to buy the rights to her own songs back 2019 when they were bought by music manager Scooter Braun after he took over her old record label, Big Machine Records. He then sold them to an investment company called Shamrock Capital for hundreds of millions of dollars, which meant that she couldn't fully control how her music was distributed and licenced. So to fight back, she started to re-record the albums, releasing them as "Taylor's Version" so fans would know which songs belong to her. But now, she doesn't have to keep doing that because all of her music really is hers, and fans have been celebrating by getting some of her old albums back on the charts. SYDNEY FOG A thick blanket of fog caused a bit of chaos in Sydney this morning! The visibility was so bad that all ferries on the Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River were cancelled for some of the morning. Lots of flights were also affected, while drivers and pedestrians were told to be extremely careful. PIASTRI WINS SPANISH GRAND PRIX He's done it again! For the fifth time this season, Aussie Oscar Piastri has finished first on the podium for McLaren, this time at the Spanish Grand Prix. Piastri led from the get go from pole position. Meanwhile, there was absolute chaos unfolding behind him, costing Max Verstappen a 10 second penalty for collision. In the end it was a flawless drive by Piastri who extended his lead in the F1 drivers' championship. WHEELCHAIR RUGBY Over in Adelaide, the Aussies have just missed out on gold in the wheelchair Rugby World Challenge Final. The Aussie Steelers went up against the Netherlands in a tight battle. The fourth quarter began with the Netherlands on 47 and Australia on 46. But the Netherlands edged ahead, taking home gold 64-to-60. WORLD ATHLETICS CONTINENTAL TOUR Finally to the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in Kenya, where 21-year-old Australian, Lachlan Kennedy, became just the second Aussie ever to legally run 100 metres in under 10 seconds! All eyes will now be on an upcoming meet in June, when he'll take on fellow Aussie sprint sensation, Gout Gout. OLD SKATERS First up, to Perth, where Peter and Barbara here were the only couple competing as a couple, in this year's roller-skating state championships. They both fell in love with the sport more than 30 years ago, but since then, the number of people skating has gone down. OLD COLLECTOR Now to India, where one local anthropologist, that's someone who studies humans, has taken it upon himself to collect all sorts of old tech, preserving it for future generations. Vij hopes that he can one day move his collection into a proper museum catering to schools. 100TH SPELLING BEE And finally to the moment 13 year old Faizan won this year's Scripp's National Spelling Bee in the US, which by the way is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year! Faizan actually almost won last year, but lost during the tiebreaker. As well as the fame and glory, and this trophy, Faizan walked away $119,000 richer.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carole King praises inspirational Taylor Swift
Carole King has praised Taylor Swift as an inspiration. The 'Cruel Summer' hitmaker revealed on Friday (30.05.25) that she had regained control of the rights to all the songs from her early albums, 'Taylor Swift', 'Fearless', 'Speak Now', 'Red', '1989' and 'Reputation', and the 83-year-old singer-songwriter has joined Taylor in celebrating the milestone. Carole shared the announcement on her Instagram Story and over a photo of Taylor raising her hands in celebration, she wrote: 'You continue to inspire! [heart, heart hands and music notes emojis] (sic)" Taylor was furious in 2019 when music manager Scooter Braun bought her former label, Big Machine Records, and her master recordings, which he then sold on to Shamrock Capital in 2020, prompting her to re-record and release 'Taylor's Versions' of 'Fearless', 'Speak Now', 'Red', and '1999'. But on Friday, the 35-year-old pop star shared with fans the news she had reaquired the rights to her records. She shared in an emotional post on her website '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. 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. '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. 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." Taylor went on to add that buying back the rights was her 'greatest dream come true' and she praised those at investment firm Shamrock Capital for offering her the opportunity. The 'Bad Blood' singer has been a fan of Carole for many years, and in 2021, she introduced the 'Where You Lead' musician for her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She said: "I cannot remember a time when I didn't know Carole King's music. 'I was raised by two of her biggest fans, who taught me the basic truths of life as they saw it: That you should treat people the way you want to be treated, that you must believe you can achieve whatever you want to in life and that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time... 'Carole taught artists like me that telling your own story is worth the work and struggle it takes to earn the opportunity for your story to be heard."
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Carole King praises inspirational Taylor Swift
Carole King has praised Taylor Swift as an inspiration. The 'Cruel Summer' hitmaker revealed on Friday (30.05.25) that she had regained control of the rights to all the songs from her early albums, 'Taylor Swift', 'Fearless', 'Speak Now', 'Red', '1989' and 'Reputation', and the 83-year-old singer-songwriter has joined Taylor in celebrating the milestone. Carole shared the announcement on her Instagram Story and over a photo of Taylor raising her hands in celebration, she wrote: 'You continue to inspire! [heart, heart hands and music notes emojis] (sic)" Taylor was furious in 2019 when music manager Scooter Braun bought her former label, Big Machine Records, and her master recordings, which he then sold on to Shamrock Capital in 2020, prompting her to re-record and release 'Taylor's Versions' of 'Fearless', 'Speak Now', 'Red', and '1999'. But on Friday, the 35-year-old pop star shared with fans the news she had reaquired the rights to her records. She shared in an emotional post on her website '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. 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. '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. 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." Taylor went on to add that buying back the rights was her 'greatest dream come true' and she praised those at investment firm Shamrock Capital for offering her the opportunity. The 'Bad Blood' singer has been a fan of Carole for many years, and in 2021, she introduced the 'Where You Lead' musician for her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She said: "I cannot remember a time when I didn't know Carole King's music. 'I was raised by two of her biggest fans, who taught me the basic truths of life as they saw it: That you should treat people the way you want to be treated, that you must believe you can achieve whatever you want to in life and that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time... 'Carole taught artists like me that telling your own story is worth the work and struggle it takes to earn the opportunity for your story to be heard."
