Taylor Swift has finally regained control over her entire musical catalogue, after announcing that she has bought back the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums.
The pop star revealed the business move with a lengthy letter on social media, declaring that “all of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me”.
Brb, I’m crying.
While she did not disclose the amount (my guess is it was eye-watering), Swift said she purchased her entire catalogue of recordings from the private equity firm Shamrock Capital, which acquired her discography from its previous owner, Big Machine Records, in 2020.
“I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,” Swift wrote.
“But that’s all in the past now.”
Brb, still crying.
Swift’s win brings an end to her years-long battle to regain the rights to her masters, which kicked off in 2019 when music executive Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine Records, Swift’s first label, and thereby owned the recordings of her first six albums, beginning with her self-titled debut and up to 2017’s Reputation.
While Shamrock Capital had since retained the masters, the label said in a statement (per 9 News) after Swift’s purchase that it is “thrilled with this outcome and are so happy for Taylor”.
The sale of Swift’s masters led to a highly-publicised feud between the pop star and Braun — who told media outlets he was “happy for” the singer — and catalysed Swift’s decision to re-release her back catalogue with the subtitle, (Taylor’s Version).
As for how her purchase will impact those re-releases, Swift shared an update about her version of Reputation, which is one of her final two albums left to re-record.
“I know, I know. What about Rep TV?” she wrote.
“Full transparency: I haven’t even rerecorded 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.”
Swift went on to reveal that Reputation, as well as her self-titled debut, will “still have their moment to re-emerge when the time is right”, adding that if and when they are released, 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.”
Swift concluded the letter by thanking Shamrock Capital for “being the first people to ever offer this to me”, and reflected on the “conversations this saga has reignited within my industry”.
It’s welcome news for legions of Swift fans the world over, and the perfect excuse to chuck on her catalogue for the millionth time.
Happy streaming, Swifties!
Lead image: Instagram
