Taylor Swift Now Owns Master Recordings After $360 Million Deal
Swift's journey to regaining control of her music has been long and challenging, but ultimately successful, with the support of her fans and the respect of Shamrock Capital, she can now look forward to a new era of creative freedom and artistic expression, with her entire catalog at her fingertips.
Taylor Swift has successfully bought back her master recordings, regaining control over her entire music catalog, after paying a reported $360 million to Shamrock Capital, marking a significant victory in her long-standing battle for ownership.
The move comes after a highly publicized feud with former music manager Scooter Braun, who had previously purchased Swift's master recordings. Swift had been working on re-recording her albums, branding each one "(Taylor's Version)", but has now acquired the original recordings. She expressed gratitude to her fans for enabling her to buy back her music and thanked Shamrock Capital for their honesty and respect in the deal.
To celebrate the milestone, Swift held a jam session in her kitchen with producer Jack Antonoff, singing along to her song "Getaway Car" from her 2017 album "Reputation". Antonoff captioned the post "Rep forever guilt free listening!", highlighting the significance of Swift's achievement. Selena Gomez, a long-time friend of Swift's, congratulated her on reclaiming her music catalog, writing "Yes you did that Tay" and "So proud!" on Instagram.
Swift's decision to buy back her master recordings marks the end of a years-long battle for ownership, which began when her music catalog was sold to Braun, and later to Shamrock Capital in 2019. With her entire catalog now under her control, Swift has the freedom to make decisions about her music, including potential future releases. She has confirmed that she has re-recorded her debut album and may release it in the future, but has put off re-recording her Reputation album, which she considers a "goth-punk moment of female rage" that she doesn't want to improve upon.
The acquisition of her master recordings is a significant milestone for Swift, who has been vocal about the importance of artists owning their work. Her fans have been supportive throughout the process, and Swift has credited them with enabling her to buy back her music. With her music catalog now under her control, Swift can focus on creating new music and reconnecting with her fans through her art.