In a groundbreaking turn for the music industry, Taylor Swift has announced that she now officially owns the master recordings of her first six albums, culminating a six-year battle for control of her work.
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The artist shared the news through an emotional letter published on Friday, expressing her gratitude towards her followers and towards Shamrock Capital, the firm that facilitated the transaction.
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“All the music I have created now belongs to me,” wrote Swift, emphasizing that the acquisition includes not only the recordings, but also music videos, concert films, album art, photographs, and unreleased songs.
The dispute began in 2019 when Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine Label Group, thus obtaining the rights to Swift’s first six albums. Subsequently, Braun sold these rights to Shamrock Capital in 2020. Swift, who had previously accused Braun of manipulative behavior, opposed the initial sale due to lack of transparency and his ongoing financial involvement.
Determined to regain control of her music, Swift embarked on the re-recording of her albums under the label “Taylor’s Version”, releasing new versions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989. These projects not only reaffirmed her artistic autonomy but also generated renewed interest in her catalog and strengthened her connection with fans.
In her letter, Swift also addressed the status of the re-recordings of Reputation and her self-titled debut album. She confessed that she has not re-recorded Reputation yet due to the emotional burden associated with that period of her life, but assured that her debut album has already been completely re-recorded and could be released in the future.
“I am deeply moved by the conversations that this saga has sparked in our industry about artists’ rights,” Swift concluded. “Every time a new artist tells me that they negotiated ownership of their master recordings thanks to this battle, it reminds me of the importance of all this.”