Latest news with #musicrights
ABC News
an hour 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
3 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."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Buys Back the Rights to Her First Six Albums for $360 Million—More Than Three Times Value of Her Real Estate Portfolio
Popstar Taylor Swift has bought back the rights to her first six albums in an historic deal that is reported to have cost the chart-topper a staggering $360 million—after a years-long fight in which she battled to regain control of her entire song catalog. The 35-year-old 'Love Song' singer revealed the happy news in a letter shared on her website, in which she explained that she reached a deal with Shamrock Capital to take ownership of the music, describing it as her 'greatest dream' coming true. '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 said in the letter. Her announcement comes after a fraught few years, during which Swift's first six albums were sold out from under her to Justin Bieber's longtime manager, Scooter Braun, by her former record label, Big Machine, a deal that saw her taking drastic action by re-recording the albums included in the contract and releasing them as part of a 'Taylor's Version' collection. 'To my fans, you know how important this has been to me—so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released four of my albums, calling them 'Taylor's Version,'' the hitmaker went on in her letter. '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. I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with the art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.' Swift's first six albums—'Taylor Swift,' 'Fearless,' 'Speak Now,' 'Red,' '1989,' and 'Reputation'—were initially sold to Shamrock by Braun's company, Hybe, in a $300 million deal in 2019. Although Swift did not reveal the amount she paid to claim back the rights to the recordings, Billboard reported that the singer paid close to the $360 million mark for all six albums—more than four times the value of her enormous property portfolio, but just a fraction of her estimated $1.6 billion fortune. Thus far, the pop princess, who is currently dating NFL pro Travis Kelce, has re-recorded four of the six albums as 'Taylor's Versions,' with fans clamoring for her to move onto one of her most popular, 'Reputation.' However, in her letter, Swift admitted that she hadn't even recorded a quarter of the album. '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 confessed. 'There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for the unreleased vault tracks from that album to hatch,' she added. Swift noted that she may also release a 'Taylor's Version' of her debut album, but only 'when the time is right.' 'I'm extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans,' she continued. '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. 'Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are.' Although the exact figure that Swift paid for her six master albums, the estimated cost is staggering—almost four times the value of her extravagant $100 million property portfolio. The songstress boasts almost as many homes as she does albums, having built up an incredible collection of properties during her legendary career—from Nashville to New York City. One of the first properties Swift snapped up was a chic penthouse in Nashville's Music Row, which she purchased for $1.9 million in 2009. The penthouse sprawls across 3,240 square feet and boasts three bedrooms, high ceilings, and an open floor plan. It also comes complete with a heated resort-style pool. Two years later, Swift snapped up a mansion in the Northumberland Estate neighborhood of Nashville for $2.5 million. The property measures 5,600 square feet and comes complete with four bedrooms and five bathrooms. A 2,000-square-foot guesthouse sits adjacent to the abode. Swift also holds the keys to a luxurious Beverly Hills, CA, home, which she purchased in 2015 for $25 million. The lavish spread was once owned by movie producer Samuel Goldwyn, co-founder of Goldwyn Pictures. The home, which sits on 2 acres and offers over 10,000 square feet of living space, has been described in the listing as the 'epitome of cordial grace and distinguished heritage.' Highlights of the eye-catching home include seven bedrooms, a guest suite, a screening room, and a gym. The parklike grounds offer up a championship tennis court, rose garden, pool, and pool house. In 2014, Swift turned her sights to New York City as she snapped up two penthouses in the chic Tribeca neighborhood for about $20 million and combined them into a nine-bedroom, nine-bath abode with beamed ceilings, a curved staircase, and enormous windows. She purchased a third unit in the building a few years later for $9.75 million, increasing her Tribeca takeover by over 3,500 square feet. Then, in 2017, the pop star splurged on an adjacent townhouse, paying $18 million for the three-story mansion measuring 5,000 square feet, which joins her growing urban empire. While her Tribeca pad was undergoing renovation, she resided in a West Village townhouse, which she reportedly paid $38,000 a month to live in from 2016-2017. The rental boasts 5,500 square feet, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, two powder rooms, a kitchen, a rooftop, and an indoor pool. In 2013, Swift garnered a $17.75 million beachside estate in Rhode Island, which quickly became her go-to vacation getaway. The residence—which is located in the exclusive enclave of Watch Hill in Westerly and is known locally as 'Holiday House'—currently sprawls across 11,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. However, it was previously revealed that Swift had plans to renovate the abode to expand it with an additional bedroom, while transforming one of the existing rooms into an 'enlarged bedroom suite.' In total, the project will add 400 square feet to the property. It is unclear when the construction will begin. However, the renovation plans were drawn up on Nov. 25 and Dec. 4, 2024, before Swift's final 'Eras Tour' show on Dec. 8, with an expiration date of Dec. 4, 2025. The renovation will be completed by a team of Rhode Island–based contractors, led by David W. Shafovaloff, who is located in Hope Valley and describes himself on LinkedIn as a 'self employed construction project manager' who specializes in 'high end residential and commercial construction.' In addition to its many bedrooms and bathrooms, Swift's opulent home currently features a 36-foot-long parlor and an octagonal dining room. The extravagant seaside estate was built in 1930 and once belonged to composer and socialite Rebekah Harkness, who was married to William Hale 'Bill' Harkness. Swift's abode has been described as the ultimate getaway, offering '700 feet of private beachfront' and eight fireplaces, per its original listing. Then, of course, there is the celebrity cachet that Swift's ownership of the home has added. Over the years, the property has played host to many of Swift's star-studded events, including her iconic Fourth of July parties, which have welcomed a long list of A-listers such as Selena Gomez and Blake Lively. More recently, Swift and Kelce were seen lounging around her Rhode Island home with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in August 2024, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs star's teammate Patrick Mahomes and his brother, Jason Kelce. At the time, an insider detailed Swift's love of the property, revealing that the star wants to spend 'more time' and be more 'grounded' at the beachside estate in the future. 'Taylor has been on tour and working nonstop, and she loves the Rhode Island house and wanted to spend some time there while the weather is still good and she can enjoy it,' the source explained. 'It has felt wonderful to be grounded back home again. It's been grounding to see friends and family and spend quality time with everyone, chat and get downloaded on everyone's worlds because she has been so busy and disconnected.' It is also the home Swift opted to sit back and relax at after 'The Eras Tour' ended. Andy Cohen Finds a Buyer for His 'One-of-a-Kind' West Village Apartment—After Slashing the Price by $2 Million Homebuyers Believe Recession Is On the Horizon—But Some Hope it Will Make it Easier to Buy Extreme Weather Disasters Will Escalate Foreclosures and Create Systemic Financial Risk in Mortgage Markets, Study Warns
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Travis Kelce Quietly Approves Of Taylor Swift Buying Back Her Masters
Singer Taylor Swift has some good news to share, and Travis Kelce is right there to help her enjoy every moment of it! The "Cruel Summer" singer revealed on Friday, May 30, that she had finally bought back the rights to her music catalog after Scooter Braun picked up her masters in 2019. After several years, Swift revealed that Shamrock Capital had finally agreed to give her back the rights to her music with "no strings attached." Over five million people liked Taylor Swift's announcement within three hours of her post, and the Kansas City Chiefs' tight end was one of them, once again showing his support for his girlfriend. Comments were disabled on the post, but fans were quick to celebrate on social media platforms like X, the website formerly known as Twitter, and Reddit. 'You belong with me,' she wrote in the caption along with heart emojis of various colors. Photos showed Swift sitting on the floor, dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, with her albums spread around her to celebrate the fact that her music is, once again, hers. Following her announcement, Swift's first name, 'taylor,' started trending online along with 'Rep TV' and '1989 TV.' One of her songs, 'Better Than Revenge,' was also trending, along with 'Debut TV' and 'Swiftie.' Although 'Fearless (Taylor's Version),' 'Red (Taylor's Version),' "Speak Now (Taylor's Version),' and '1989 (Taylor's Version),' have already been released, fans are concerned that she might never release 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' after a shocking revelation she made in her lengthy letter. In her lengthy letter, the 'Love Story' singer revealed that although she has completed re-recording her debut album, the same can't be said for 'Reputation (Taylor's Version),' which would be the last album to be released. '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 revealed. '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 who are looking forward to the release of her debut album, as she revealed that it is already finished. Although she admitted that she loves how it sounds, she did not hint at a release date for the new music. '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.' Although Scooter Braun told The Hollywood Reporter that he is 'happy for her,' he had no part to play in this recent development, despite recent reports. One insider told PEOPLE magazine on Friday that he did not 'encourage' the sale in any way. '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,' the insider shared. 'Taylor now owns all of her music, and this moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him.' Instead, the "Karma" singer clearly thanked Shamrock Capital for giving her the opportunity to own her music once more in her letter. '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 wrote. 'I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me.' She went on to say, '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."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Taylor Swift fans go nuts as she makes huge announcement: 'My greatest dream come true'
Taylor Swift fans are going nuts over the singer announcing she's bought back the rights to her music. 'To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,' wrote the Grammy -winner in a handwritten note on her website. The Bad Blood crooner said the fact she now owns the rights to all the music she has ever made has brought so much joy to her life she's been bursting into tears. Swift purchased her catalog of recordings that were first released through Big Machine Records. It has taken her six years to close the deal. She acquired those six albums and associated visuals from their most recent owner, Shamrock Capital, for an undisclosed nine-figure sum. However, sources close to the contract negotiations claim the recent figure touted for the buy-back deal of 'between $600million-$1billion' is 'highly inaccurate.' Scooter Braun told 'I am happy for her.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the . She writes in her letter: 'I'm trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just 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 thiiiiis 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. I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get say 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 also wrote: '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. '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. '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 hatch. I've already completely re-recorded my album, and I really love how it sounds now. 'Those two 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. It will just be a celebration now.' Justin Bieber's old manager Scooter Braun's company Ithaca Holdings bought the catalog in 2019 before Shamrock acquired it from him a year later. Braun does not profit from the sale. And he was not involved in Shamrock's decision to sell the music. In June of 2021, Braun told Variety that he felt 'regret' over the situation. 'I regret and it makes me sad that Taylor had that reaction to the deal,' he said. 'All of what happened has been very confusing and not based on anything factual.' On Instagram she wrote: 'You belong with me.❤️ Letter on my site :).' Taylor will be reissuing her old Big Machine albums. Those albums were first sold by Big Machine in 2019, something she was not happy with. There will be two fully authorized versions of each of those albums in the marketplace, since she's saying the re-recorded Taylor's Versions will continue to be available alongside the originals. Two of those bonus-filled editions have yet to come out, including the long-awaited Reputation (Taylor's Version). Her letter explained that this new arrangement will not prevent the remaining pair of redo albums from being released. 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. Meanwhile, after news broke of Swift's business move, Braun said, 'I'm happy for her.' And Taylor's longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, who has worked with her since 2014, broke his silence on the big news with an incredible tweet. Taking to X, Jack shared a candid video of himself and Taylor belting out her song Getaway Car—a fan favorite from her 2017 Reputation album. Many had expected Reputation (Taylor's Version) to be her next release before news broke that she had officially bought back her original masters. 'Rep forever guilt-free listening!' Jack captioned the clip. Swift's close friend Selena Gomez also offered her congratulations to the singer after buying back the rights to her music. The former Disney channel actress reposted Taylor's post to her Instagram stories and also penned a sweet message: 'YES YOU DID THAT TAY!!!! SO proud!' Taylor's announcement comes just one day after she was seen out with a new friend: Dakota Johnson, who is the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson.
