Taylor Swift reveals how her mum Andrea and brother Austin were able to get back her masters after years-long music battle

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Taylor Swift has shared that her mother, Andrea, and brother, Austin, played a key role in her journey to regain ownership of her master recordings.

Earlier this year, the 35-year-old pop superstar was finally able to buy back the rights to her original recordings, which were first released through Big Machine Records. It took six years to complete the deal.

She purchased six albums and their accompanying artwork from Shamrock Capital, the previous owner, for a substantial amount – a nine-figure sum that wasn’t revealed publicly.

On Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, Taylor Swift sat with fellow guests Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Domhnall Gleeson on the sofa.

During a conversation about her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor and Graham discussed how she successfully reclaimed ownership of her original recordings, also known as her masters.

Graham explained that when the company was bought back, one might expect extensive legal negotiations – lawyers speaking with other lawyers – but that wasn’t the case. He said, ‘it didn’t happen that way.’

Taylor responded: ‘No, I sent in my mum and my brother.’

She explained: ‘So basically my music was owned by a company called Shamrock capital. 

We needed to find a way to persuade them to sell us a highly profitable part of their business, despite the fact that it was still generating significant income for them.

I felt the best candidates for the role were those who’ve known me for a long time, understand my background and experiences, have consistently supported me, and are my current colleagues. It really came down to people who knew my entire journey and who I work with everyday.

‘They both work with me and they are the smartest people I know. 

And also, the most caring and understanding individuals – the ones best equipped to share the story of our family’s journey and experiences.

‘So they went in and got my music back for me.’ 

This news follows Taylor’s announcement that she’s reached an agreement with Shamrock Capital, the company that bought the rights to her older recordings from music industry executive Scooter Braun back in November 2020.

In a letter posted on her website, Taylor, whose net worth exceeds $1 billion, explains that the profits from her highly successful Eras tour last year funded the repurchase of her earlier recordings and essentially covers ‘her entire life’s work’.

She explained that her lifelong dream was simply to earn enough through hard work to fully own her music-to buy it completely, without any obligations, partnerships, or loss of control.

Taylor then expressed gratitude to Shamrock Capital for conducting the deal in an honest, fair, and respectful manner. She explained, ‘I truly felt they understood what this meant to me – it wasn’t just a transaction, but my memories, hard work, personal touch, and decades of dreams.’

She then joked: ‘My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.’

Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber’sformer manager, sparked controversy when he purchased Taylor Swift’s earlier recordings. He acquired the rights to her music for $300 million by buying Big Machine Media, her former record label, in 2019. He later sold these rights to Shamrock Capital for a profit.

The singer of “Love Story”, who called Scooter a “bully” due to his business practices, didn’t know about his plan. She also stated that when she previously asked Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine label, about purchasing her master recordings, he supposedly would only sell them to her individually, beginning with her oldest and least financially successful songs.

Taylor said that to regain ownership of her original recordings, she would be required to record a new album for the label for each old album she repurchased. This would essentially tie her to Big Machine Records for many more years, right when she was hoping to move on. She felt this arrangement shackled her to the label.

The singer shared a heartfelt message on Tumblr, explaining she had made the very difficult decision to move on from her history. She described the journey of her music, starting with songs created in her bedroom, and progressing to self-funded videos, all made possible by performing in small venues – bars, clubs, arenas, and eventually stadiums.

She added: ‘Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter.

Whenever Scott Borchetta has heard me say ‘Scooter Braun‘, I’ve been either crying or desperately holding back tears.

He understood his actions, and she did too. They were both focused on dominating a woman who wished to have no connection with them, and they intended for this control to last forever. In perpetuity simply means for all time.

She explained that upon hearing the news, her immediate thought was the constant, controlling mistreatment she’d endured from him over the years: ‘All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years.‘

Taylor went on to share several instances where she felt Kim Kardashian and Kanye West – who were represented by Braun at the time – had bullied her.

Shamrock originally owned the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s albums – Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation. However, Taylor has since regained ownership. She previously started a project to re-record her first six albums, and has already finished re-recording four of them.

Previously, some sources reported that Scooter Braun was involved in facilitating a deal between Taylor Swift and Shamrock Capital to reacquire her masters. This was allegedly an attempt to generate positive publicity for Braun, as his career suffered after a public dispute with the singer.

But according to sources close to the contract negotiations, he played zero part.

A source revealed to Daily Mail: ‘Unlike what was previously and incorrectly reported, no external individual or group prompted this sale.’

All thanks for this opportunity should go to the partners at Shamrock Capital and Taylor’s Nashville-based management team. They deserve all the credit.

Taylor now has complete ownership of her music, and this milestone was achieved despite Scooter Braun, not because of his involvement. It happened in spite of him, not due to any help from him.

Meanwhile, after news broke of Swift’s business move, Braun said, ‘I’m happy for her.’

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2025-10-04 13:19