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How Taylor Swift Buying Back Her Masters Could Impact Her Rerecording Project and More

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Following a protracted legal battle concerning ownership rights to Taylor Swift’s music collection, the renowned pop artist is now authorized to claim all her earlier albums as “my own.

On her website on Friday, Taylor Swift revealed that she had acquired the original recordings of her first six albums from Shamrock Capital, a move made approximately six years following Big Machine Records’ sale of these masters to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings. In her words, this transaction represented her “nightmare scenario” at the time.

Swift has gained full ownership over all her music video content, live performance films, album artwork, photographs, and previously unpublished tracks.

After two decades of hope being repeatedly dashed, it seemed impossible for this to become a reality. However, all that has changed now. Since learning that this is indeed happening, I’ve been experiencing unexpected bursts of joy. With great relief, Taylor Swift expressed in her letter, “At last, every piece of music I’ve ever created… is mine to keep.

She went on to explain that ‘this is a dream come true for me’ is somewhat understated. What she truly yearned for was the chance to put in immense effort, eventually owning her music completely – free from any ties or partnerships, with complete control and independence.

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Why did Taylor Swift need to buy her own music?

Swift has long expressed the desire to own her masters. 

In 2018, when her contract with Big Machine Records ended, she moved on to sign with Republic Records under Universal Music Group. The next year, Big Machine sold the rights to her earlier recordings to Ithaca Holdings.

In a Tumblr post following the announcement of the sale, Swift expressed her disapproval, stating that Braun had taken away her life’s work. She mentioned that she was not given an opportunity to purchase it herself and instead was offered the chance to re-sign with Big Machine Records, earning one album back for every new one she produced. For years, she had asked for the chance to own her work, but was only given the option to sign up again to Big Machine Records.

Swift explained on her Tumblr that she chose to depart because, upon signing the contract, Scott Borchetta (the label’s creator) would likely sell the company. This meant that not only the label but also Swift and her future prospects would be sold off. She reluctantly had to let go of her past.

She strongly criticized the transaction of her work to Scooter Braun specifically, and she also alleged that the former music manager had been abusive towards her, even involving his clients such as Kanye West. She stated that when she entrusted her master recordings to Scott Borchetta, she was aware he would sell them, but she never anticipated that the purchaser would be Scooter Braun. Whenever Scott Borchetta heard the name ‘Scooter Braun’ from me, it was usually when I was either in tears or trying hard not to cry. He knew what he was doing; they both did. They aimed to control a woman who didn’t want any connection with them. Permanently, meaning forever.

In response to Swift’s post, Borchetta stated on the Big Machine website that “Taylor was given the opportunity to own not only her master recordings, but also every video, photo, and anything related to her career. She decided to leave.” Regarding Taylor’s comments about getting emotional whenever Braun is mentioned, Borchetta stated, “I have never experienced that emotion myself.

In 2020, Shamrock Capital, an investment company, obtained the rights for Taylor Swift’s initial six albums, which were previously owned by Braun. This acquisition took place a year after Braun’s company had already purchased Taylor Swift’s master recordings.

In a social media post, Swift stated that the agreement transpired unbeknownst to her, and she discovered it only after Shamrock’s team sent a letter to hers.

She shared that the letter revealed they intended to contact her prior to the sale, but Scooter Braun had mandated no communication with her or her team, otherwise the deal would collapse. Once negotiations began with Shamrock, she discovered that under their conditions, Scooter Braun would continue to earn from her past musical library for years to come. Although she was optimistic about a partnership with Shamrock, Scooter Braun’s involvement is completely unacceptable to her.

In a recent post, I shared how my team and I had attempted to negotiate with Scooter Braun over my masters, only to be met with an unusual demand: signing a binding NDA promising to only speak positively about him in the future, before we could even examine Big Machine’s financial records. My legal advisors mentioned that this was not common practice. To make matters more challenging, Braun never provided us with a price quote for these negotiations.

During an interview with Variety in 2021, Braun was questioned about Swift’s response to the master recordings dispute. He stated that he had invited Swift on multiple occasions to discuss the matter with him, but she chose not to.

He shared with the media, “I proposed to purchase her collection under a confidentiality agreement, but her group declined. It’s quite unfortunate,” he said. However, he also added, “I think she is an incredibly gifted artist and I wish her only success.” Contrary to Swift’s assertions, Braun’s team stated that serious negotiations had indeed started.

On a recent Friday, I penned a heartfelt note to Shamrock, expressing my gratitude for being the very first to extend such an opportunity my way. I must say, the folks there have consistently demonstrated honesty, fairness, and respect that truly resonates with me as a cinephile.

To them, it was simply a business transaction, but I believe they understood its deeper significance for me: My memories, hard work, unique handwriting, and years of dreams were all tied up in it,” she expressed. “I am eternally grateful, to such an extent that my next tattoo might be a large shamrock right in the center of my forehead.

What does the deal mean for her rerecording project?

For several years now, Swift has been remaking her initial six studio albums as a means to reclaim ownership of her musical creations.

To date, she has unveiled four re-recorded versions of her albums: Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021, followed by Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in 2023.

Under her deal with Republic Records, Swift maintains ownership of the original recordings for all the works she’s produced, encompassing rerecorded tracks as well as albums such as “Lover”, “Folklore”, “Evermore”, “Midnights”, and “The Tortured Poets Department”.

In a letter sent out on Friday, Swift expressed gratitude towards her fans for their unwavering support, specifically for their encouragement during her endeavor to re-record her music.

Your fervent enthusiasm for those albums and the remarkable triumph you achieved with The Eras Tour allowed me to repurchase my music,” Swift explained.

Enthusiasts have been eagerly anticipating Taylor Swift’s re-releases of her two initial albums yet to be unveiled: her self-named debut album and “Reputation.” In her correspondence, Swift addressed fan inquiries regarding the progress of these projects, disclosing that she has not yet completed even a fourth of the rerecording process for “Reputation.

As a devoted cinephile, I can genuinely say that “Reputation” was like a snapshot of my life during that particular era, and every time I attempted to recreate it, I encountered an insurmountable roadblock. In all honesty, it’s the one album from those initial six that I believed wouldn’t benefit from a redo. It wasn’t about enhancing the music, or the images, or the videos – it was the essence of the album itself that I felt couldn’t be improved upon, so I always found myself postponing the project.

Swift mentioned that there might come a point (if it appeals to you) where she would share the “unreleased tracks,” which are songs not previously released, from her album. She also noted that she’s already completed the process of remaking her debut album.

Swift mentioned that those two albums might make a comeback when the opportunity arises, assuming you all would find it exciting. However, if they do return, it won’t stem from feelings of nostalgia and yearning for what once was. Instead, it will be a joyous celebration of the present.

How much was the deal for?

It was not revealed by Swift how she structured her agreement when acquiring her master recordings. According to anonymous sources cited by Billboard and Variety, the artist is said to have paid an amount comparable to what Shamrock previously purchased them for.

It’s important to note that the exact figure hasn’t been made public, however, The New York Times claims a source familiar with the agreement stated it exceeded $300 million.

Is Taylor Swift still a billionaire?

In October 2023, Forbes initially recognized Swift as a billionaire, primarily due to the massive profits generated by her groundbreaking Eras Tour and her extensive music collection.

Back in October, the business publication revised their assessment of her total assets to a staggering 1.6 billion dollars. As of last Friday afternoon, this appraisal has remained consistent on the Forbes site.

Swift’s ownership of her creative work contributes to her total net worth calculation, which is determined by considering all her assets (such as money in the bank, property, businesses, and for a pop star like her, music) minus any debts or liabilities she may have.

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2025-05-31 02:06

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