Taylor Swift Has Reclaimed Ownership of Her Complete Music Catalogue Through a Significant Deal

Taylor Swift has officially regained ownership of the master recordings for her initial six studio albums.

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In a significant triumph for artist independence, Taylor Swift has formally declared that she has reacquired the rights to the master recordings of her first six studio albums. This eagerly awaited announcement signifies the conclusion of a protracted, highly publicised struggle to reclaim control of her early catalogue. With this unprecedented agreement, Swift now possesses her complete oeuvre.

Swift obtained the master recordings from Shamrock Capital, the private equity firm that acquired them from Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings in 2020. Although the precise financial details remain undisclosed, indications indicate that she paid an amount approximating the $300-$360 million USD range that Shamrock first invested, a figure somewhat lower than some prior exaggerated speculations. This development concludes a tumultuous time that commenced in 2019 when her previous label, Big Machine Records, transferred her masters to Scooter Braun without her approval. In response, Swift initiated an unparalleled re-recording endeavour, producing "Taylor's Version" albums of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989, which garnered substantial economic and critical acclaim, thereby diminishing the value of the original masters.

Swift conveyed profound excitement and appreciation in a statement to her followers on her website, declaring, “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs… to me.” She underscored that this encompasses not only audio recordings but also music videos, concert films, album artwork, photographs, and unreleased tracks from those periods. She remarked that her self-titled first album has been re-recorded and that both it and Reputation (Taylor’s Version) "can still have their moments to resurface when the time is appropriate."

This triumph is a pivotal moment for artist rights inside the music industry, as Swift emphasises how her struggle has motivated other musicians to advocate for ownership of their masters from the beginning.