5 days ago
Taylor Swift Has Regained Control Over Her Entire Music Catalog in Landmark Deal
In a monumental victory for artist autonomy,Taylor Swifthas officially announced that she has bought back the rights to her first six studio albums' master recordings. This highly anticipated news marks the culmination of a years-long, very public battle to regain ownership of her early catalog. With this new landmark deal, Swift now owns her entire body of work.
Swift acquired the masters from Shamrock Capital, the private equity firm that purchased them fromScooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings in 2020. While the exact financial terms were not disclosed, reports suggest she paid a sum close to the $300-$360 million USD range that Shamrock originally invested, a figure considerably less than some earlier inflated rumors. This development brings closure to a fraught period that began in 2019 when her former label, Big Machine Records, sold her masters to Scooter Braun without her consent. In response, Swift embarked on an unprecedented re-recording project, releasing 'Taylor's Version' albums ofFearless,Red,Speak Nowand1989, which achieved massive commercial and critical success, effectively devaluing the original masters.
Swift expressed immense joy and gratitude, penning a letter to her fans on herwebsiteand stating, 'All of the music I've ever made now belongs… to me.' She emphasized that this includes not just the audio recordings but also music videos, concert films, album art, photography, and unreleased songs from those eras. She also noted that her self-titled debut album has been re-recorded and that both it andReputation (Taylor's Version)'can still have their moments to reemerge when the time is right.'
This victory is a significant moment for artist rights in the music industry, with Swift highlighting how her fight has inspired other artists to negotiate for ownership of their own masters from the outset.
