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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
‘Feels bigger than herself': the importance of Taylor Swift's latest victory
It goes without saying, but Taylor Swift has scored a lot of victories in the past few years. There was, first and foremost, the blockbuster Eras Tour, which became the bestselling concert tour of all time and a certifiable cultural era in itself. She released the bestselling concert film of all time, with a distribution model that upended the theatrical market. There was yet another album of the year Grammy. She turned the Super Bowl into the ultimate rom-com. Even with mediocre critical reviews, her most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, set more streaming records than I can count. Read More Taylor Swift announces she has acquired the rights to all of her music All of these were beyond impressive, if at times threatening overexposure and annoyingly at odds with her self-styled narrative as an underdog – the emotionally astute lyricist battling against a sliding scale of villains, from careless boys, bitchy girls and heartbreak to gossip, criticism and misogynistic double standards. Often, the targets are petty; I never want to hear a Kim Kardashian reference again. But on Friday, with the announcement that she purchased the master recordings of her first six albums, Swift notched arguably the most significant victory of her career, over the one remaining foe worthy of her stature: the artist-devaluing practices of the music industry. For those who do not follow what has become canon in Swift's massive fandom, ownership of her masters has been the animating force behind the last six years of Swift's career, ever since Scooter Braun, most famous as the music manager behind Justin Bieber, purchased them from Swift's former label Big Machine Records for $300m in 2019. Like virtually all young artists, Swift had signed a deal that did not entitle her to ownership of her recordings, just royalties from their sales. The deal 'stripped me of my life's work', Swift wrote at the time, and left her catalog 'in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it'. (Braun used to manage longtime Swift antagonizer Kanye West.) Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour. Picture: Charles McQuillan/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management For the following six years, even after Braun sold the catalog to private equity group Shamrock Capital for $360m, Swift re-recorded each album under the moniker 'Taylor's Version', a business masterstroke that at once devalued the originals, ginned up nostalgia and set the stage for the Eras Tour. The ownership of her master recordings, as well as her all her music videos, concert films, album art, photography and unreleased songs, is, in Swift's own words, deeply meaningful on a personal level. 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' she said in a handwritten letter posted on her website to announce the acquisition. '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.' (Swift, the daughter of a Merrill Lynch stockbroker and forever a savvy dealmaker, also thanked Shamrock Capital for being 'the first people to ever offer this to me' and praised the private equity firm for being 'honest, fair, and respectful'.) But it is also a victory that, for once in this era, feels bigger than Swift herself. Swift owning her masters is a small step toward transparency and artistic integrity in the music industry, and one made possible by her immense wealth and power. The fact that we're even talking about ownership of master recordings, that millions of music listeners now question the business standard of recording industry contracts, is a testament to the power Swift can wield when she chooses a worthy target, even if that target often takes direct form in the figure of Braun (who, for what it's worth, said he's 'happy for her'.) 'I'm extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans,' Swift wrote. '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.' This is Swift in her best crusader mode – grounded in the work, clear-eyed on the stakes, speaking as a songwriter in perhaps the one arena where she remains an underdog with something to fight for. Though often overshadowed by gossip and her personal life, in ways both self-inflected and expected by a culture that loves to see women fail, her flexing of her exceptional clout over the music industry for artists rights is one of her most enduring fights. It dates back at least to an open letter to Apple Music withholding her album 1989 from the company's streaming service because it would not pay royalties to artists during the service's first three months. (Apple quickly caved.) Or her Billboard's Woman of the Year speech in 2014 in which she called for fairer compensation of writers, musicians and producers – a point she cited five years later when accepting Woman of the Decade in 2019, in a speech that is worth revisiting for the contrast between which fights resonate, and which rankle. Taylor Swift arrives on to the Aviva stage for the first of her three sold-out Dublin gigs as part of her Eras tour. Picture: Chani Anderson The part about adjusting her sound and image to appease critics? Flop, mild applause, one of many instances where Swift evinces a sensitivity to criticism and bone-deep desire for popularity that is so incongruous with her stature as arguably the most famous woman on the planet that I find it endearing, the most human element of her incomprehensible celebrity. The part where she bluntly calls out 'the unregulated world of private equity coming in and buying up our music as if it is real estate, as if it's an app or a shoe line'? It's the most strident and fair she's ever sounded, and it holds up. Even if the purchase of her masters feels a bit like settling out of court before the full trial – the re-record project remains unfinished – this is the win that could have the most salient downstream effect for both artists and people who appreciate music. Similar to how her criticism of Ticketmaster, and fan frustration over the experience of buying tickets for the Eras Tour, led to efforts to reform ticket transparency and break up the Live Nation monopoly, this is power appropriately applied upward. 'Thank you for being curious about something that used to be thought of as too industry-centric for broad discussion,' she wrote to her fans. 'You'll never know how much it means to me that you cared. Every single bit of it counted and ended us up here.' Swiftie or no, this is a Swift victory worth cheering for. - The Guardian Read More Aviva stadium company enjoys Taylor Swift and Pink dividend as operating profits increase to €7m
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Taylor Swift just bought her masters back—Travis Kelce's reaction proves he's her biggest supporter yet
Taylor Swift finally wins the masters battle—Travis Kelce's support makes the moment even more iconic (Credit: TAS Rights Management) Taylor Swift has once again rewritten the narrative of her career—this time, by achieving what many artists only dream of. After years of legal battles, heartbreak, and sheer determination, Swift has officially reclaimed the master recordings to her first six albums. With this move, she now holds complete control over her entire discography for the very first time, marking a monumental victory in both her personal journey and the broader fight for artists' rights. Taylor Swift finally wins the masters battle—Travis Kelce's support makes the moment even more iconic In a heartfelt note to fans, Swift didn't hold back on the emotional toll the battle had taken. 'I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,' she wrote. 'But that's all in the past now. All of the music I've ever made … now belongs … to me.' These words reflect the deep wounds left by a system that often deprives artists of ownership over their own work. The saga began in 2019, when Swift's former label, Big Machine Records, sold the masters of her first six albums to music executive Scooter Braun—an outcome she famously described as her 'worst case scenario.' Swift had not been given the chance to purchase her catalog outright; instead, she was offered a deal to "earn" each album back one by one—a proposal she flatly refused. Since parting ways with Big Machine, Swift has strategically released all her new music under Republic Records, a label that allowed her to retain rights to her new master recordings. But that didn't stop her from going back to reclaim what had been taken. With the release of Taylor's Versions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989, she began the bold journey of re-recording her earlier albums—a powerful statement that ownership matters. In her latest message, Swift acknowledged the unwavering support of her fans. 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' she admitted. '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.' Owning master recordings is no small feat in the music industry. It grants the artist control over how their work is used, licensed, and shared, which in Swift's case, protects her legacy from unwanted commercial exploitation. As expected, her partner Travis Kelce was quick to show his support. The NFL star liked her Instagram post moments after the announcement, while his teammate, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, also joined in by reposting the news on X. Their public gestures not only spotlight the couple's mutual support but also underline how deeply Swift's triumph resonates beyond the music industry. With her masters finally in her hands, Swift has not only reclaimed her past but redefined the future of artistic ownership. Also Read: Taylor Swift ditches Travis Kelce for glamorous solo night out in NYC — is trouble brewing before the ring?
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Taylor Swift's Grammy-Winning Album Reaches A Massive Milestone
Taylor Swift's Folklore hits 250 weeks on both the Billboard 200 and Top Alternative Albums chart, ... More becoming her sixth project to reach that milestone on the main list. GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 17: Editorial use only and no commercial use at any time. No use on publication covers is permitted after August 9, 2023. Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona). The city of Glendale, Arizona was ceremonially renamed to Swift City for March 17-18 in honor of The Eras Tour. (Photo byfor TAS Rights Management) Taylor Swift shocked the world when she released her album Folklore in mid-2020. By the time the full-length arrived, the global pandemic was raging, and not much had been heard from the singer after she halted promotion of her recent album Lover. Folklore arrived without warning and marked a drastic sonic shift from the powerhouse musician – a welcome one. In the years since its debut, Folklore has remained not only one of the Grammy winner's most critically-acclaimed projects, but also one of her most commercially successful. This week, the set continues to find space on to a handful of Billboard charts, and it reaches a special milestone across several of them at the same time. Folklore can currently be found on a trio of U.S. charts. The project reaches 250 weeks on both the Billboard 200 and the Top Alternative Albums tally. This frame, Folklore dips three spots to No. 68 on the Billboard 200, the all-encompassing ranking of the most consumed releases in the country. Meanwhile, it reverses course and lifts one space to No. 6 on the Top Alternative Albums chart, which uses the same methodology, but considers only those titles Billboard classifies as alternative. Swift has now seen half a dozen full-lengths spend at least 250 on the Billboard 200. Folklore has logged a little less than half as many stays as 1989, her longest-running winner, which is just one week away from a full decade on the tally. In between that record-setter and Folklore come Reputation (346 weeks), Lover (298), her self-titled debut (284), and Fearless (261). Swift has sent just three projects to the Top Alternative Albums chart, and all of them have spent at least one frame at No. 1. Evermore — which arrived just a few months after Folklore and is considered something of a sister set — is just a few months behind its predecessor with 221 stays on the tally. Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions debuted at No. 1 in May 2023 and then immediately disappeared. Luminate reports that in the past tracking frame, Folklore moved a little more than 14,300 equivalent units throughout the United States. Of those, 1,900 were pure purchases. Those sums are grand enough to place the Grammy-winning full-length on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, where it steps up one space to No. 15 after recently passing 150 weeks.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Taylor Swift's Surprise Album Reaches A Momentous Landmark
Taylor Swift's Folklore hits 250 weeks on the Official Albums chart in the U.K., making it her third ... More project to reach the milestone. SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - MARCH 02: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS Taylor Swift performs during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at the National Stadium on March 02, 2024 in Singapore. (Photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management) Even a quiet week on the charts for Taylor Swift still sees half a dozen of her albums occupying space on some of the most competitive rankings in the United Kingdom. The singer-songwriter isn't promoting anything at the moment, and lately, she has remained fairly out of the spotlight — at least as out of the spotlight as Swift can manage. Her catalog remains so popular that she continues to control a sizable number of positions on several rankings with ease. Her full-lengths perform best, as millions of people continue to buy and stream the music that made her a superstar, and some of her most beloved collections manage to remain on album consumption lists for years at a time. It may be a particularly quiet frame for Swift, but it's a special one for her album Folklore. As of this frame, Folklore has spent 250 weeks on the Official Albums chart. As it reaches that milestone, it climbs two spots to No. 53. That's a fairly low position, considering it's currently the singer's second-highest rising title on the tally. Folklore is Swift's third release to spend 250 weeks on the Official Albums chart, which ranks the most consumed full-lengths and EPs in the U.K. The tally blends both sales and streaming data to reflect what listeners are truly enjoying. The surprise release follows in the wake of 1989 and Lover. The former remains Swift's longest-charting success, with 373 frames on the ranking, while Lover has collected 281. It's likely that Swift's next title to reach the 250-week milestone will be Reputation, which is now up to 216 frames somewhere on the roster. Folklore also reaches 250 weeks on the Official Albums Streaming chart, where it sits directly in the middle of the 100-spot roster, at No. 50. At the same time, it appears on the Official Physical Albums ranking, though only just barely. It comes in at No. 98 on the list of the bestselling titles across formats like CD, cassette, and vinyl. Folklore still needs a few more months before it reaches the 250-frame landmark on that ranking.
Buzz Feed
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
My Swiftie Favorites!!!
These are my favorite swiftie things!!! SONG: "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management I love the lyrics, bridge, production, JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG!!!! ALBUM: "Red (Taylor's Version)" MUSIC VIDEO: "Bad Blood" Big Machine Records ERAS TOUR OUTFIT: Koi Fish Surprise Songs Dress Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management LIVE PERFORMANCE: WAOLOM on The Eras Tour Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Thanks for reading!!! Tell me your swiftie picks in the comments!!!
