Latest news with #masterrecordings
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Billionaire Taylor Swift pays eye-watering sum to snatch back her music empire
Taylor Swift has beamed 'all my music I've ever made now belongs to me' after spending 'millions' buying back her master recordings – six years after they were snatched away from her. The pop superstar, 35, struck a settlement with private equity firm Shamrock Capital, who purchased the rights to the records from music mogul Scooter Braun in November 2020. Sources close to the contract negotiations claimed to MailOnline that the recent figure touted for the buy-back deal 'between $600million-$1billion' is 'highly inaccurate'. A different source told Billboard that Shamrock sold Swift's catalog back to her for a figure reportedly close to what they paid — around $360 million. But in a hand-written letter posted on her website, Taylor, who is worth over $1billion, claims the money she made from her lucrative Eras tour last year has helped bankroll the purchase of her old material and 'her entire life's work'. She said: '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. ' Taylor then thanked Shamrock Capital for their 'honest, fair and respectful' way they handled the deal, adding: '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.' She then joked: 'My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.' Justin Bieber's old manager Scooter controversially acquired the rights to Taylor's material for S300million after buying her old record label, Big Machine Media, in 2019 before selling them on to Shamrock Capital for profit. The Love Story singer, who branded Scooter a 'bully' for tactics, was unaware of his plan and also claimed when she previously approached Big Machine label head Scott Borchetta about buying her masters beforehand, he allegedly would only sell her them one at a time, starting from her earliest, least-profitable recordings. In exchange for the option to buy the masters back, Taylor claimed she would have to record a new album for the label in exchange for each old recording she bought, shackling her to Big Machine for years to come just when she was eager to leave the label. The singer posted an emotional Tumblr telling fans she made the 'excruciating choice to leave behind my past. 'Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.' She added: 'Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter. 'Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. 'He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn't want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.' She added that when she heard the news: 'All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years.' Swift then listed a string of examples accusing Kim Kardashian and Kanye West – then Braun's client – of bullying. Shamrock acquired the master recordings to Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation – which Taylor has now regained ownership of, having previously led a campaign to re-record her first six albums, four of which she's successfully completed. Reputation (Taylor's Version) was heavily tipped to be her next release and the singer addressed the rumors in her open letter, saying it's the 'one album I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it' but teased she may still record another version, as well as offer up 'unreleased Vault tracks' from that album. Taylor says she has re-recorded the entirety of her debut self-titled album which, like Reputation, will 're-emerge when the time is right.' Music sources had previously claimed Scooter played a role in helping Taylor and Shamrock Capital agree a deal for the buy-back, in a bid to claim much-needed positive PR in wake of her career imploding following his feud with the singer. But according to sources close to the contract negotiations, he played zero part. An insider told MailOnline: 'Contrary to a previous false report, there was no outside party who 'encouraged' this sale. 'All rightful credit for this opportunity should go to the partners at Shamrock Capital 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.'
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Her Boss Era: Taylor Swift Buys Her Early Master Recordings
Taylor Swift's yearslong battle over ownership of her early catalog ended in a major win for the popstar, who announced Friday she bought her master recordings from Shamrock Capital Advisors. 'I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,' Swift said on her website. '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.'
Sky News
4 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Taylor Swift buys back rights to all master recordings - but it's bad news for Reputation fans
Taylor Swift has bought back all the rights to her master recordings - but has suggested she won't be re-releasing her Reputation album. "All the music I've ever made now belongs to me," the star announced on her official website. "I've been bursting tears of joy... ever since I found out this is really happening."2 The popstar had originally lost the rights to her first six albums in 2019 when her first record label, Big Machine, sold them to music executive Scooter Braun. Swift said she was not given the opportunity to buy her work outright, and so had instead been meticulously re-recording them, releasing four "Taylor's Version" albums. Just her debut album and Reputation remain to be re-released. Braun later sold his stake in her albums to Shamrock Holdings, a Los Angeles investment fund. Swift said she was "forever grateful" to Shamrock for allowing her to buy the rights to her music back. On the release of Reputation she said she had "not even re-recorded a quarter of it", and while she said that the album and her debut album could "have their time to re-emerge when the time is right", she said: "If it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have." Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Salt-N-Pepa sue Universal over ownership of master recordings
The pop-rap group Salt-N-Pepa have sued Universal Music Group as they try to regain control over their master recordings. Salt-N-Pepa are known for irrepressible hits across the 1980s and 1990s such as Push It and Let's Talk About Sex, which both reached No 2 in the UK and the US Top 20. Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, the original members of the group prior to DJ Spinderella joining, are citing a clause in the US Copyright Act which allows artists who have transferred their copyright to another party to reclaim it after 35 years. In 2022, the pair filed termination notices, aiming to end UMG's ownership of their early recordings. But in their lawsuit, they claim that UMG has said those termination notices are not valid because Salt-N-Pepa's songs were 'works made for hire' and so the duo cannot reclaim the rights. 'UMG appears to take the position that it can unilaterally decide when and/or if a recording artist is entitled to termination. This is not the law, and UMG does not have this power,' the lawsuit states. The group's first two albums, 1986's Hot, Cool & Vicious and 1988's A Salt With a Deadly Pepa, were removed from streaming services between May and July 2024. Denton and James allege that was a 'punitive measure' by UMG, saying the company 'indicated that it will hold plaintiffs' rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of plaintiffs' music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work'. They claim they lost out on 'substantial royalties' when the catalogue was offline. The duo have claimed that rights to their 1990 album Blacks' Magic should have returned to them in March, are they also looking to win back the rights to later albums in May 2026. Denton and James are seeking financial damages, and an injunction against UMG infringing on their copyright. UMG have responded, saying: 'Salt-N-Pepa's own legal filings demonstrate the repeated attempts we have made to resolve this matter amicably (including offers to enter into a mediation) ever since the artists served an invalid termination notice. 'Although we had no legal obligation to do so, we still sought to find a way to improve the artists' compensation and pay them directly – even after they had sold their royalty streams to a third party. 'Clearly, the artists' legal counsel thinks they can use the threat of negative media coverage from the lawsuit to achieve their unreasonable demands. Despite this, and consistent with our longstanding practice, we remain committed to working towards an amicable resolution.' Though they haven't released an album since 1997's Brand New, Salt-N-Pepa have continued to tour, with their most recent dates in 2023. They were among the first women to win a Grammy for a rap performance, in 1995 for the track None of Your Business, taken from the album Very Necessary. Two other tracks from the album reached the US Top Five, Shoop and the En Vogue collaboration Whatta Man. They were given a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2021, and earlier this year were included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical influence category.
