Taylor Swift has successfully regained ownership of her master recordings, a significant milestone for the artist who reached billionaire status last year.
According to sources, Shamrock Capital sold Swift's catalog back to her for approximately $360 million, a figure that closely mirrors the amount the private equity firm invested in acquiring it in 2020.
Representatives for Swift did not respond to inquiries regarding the transaction.
The saga began in 2019 when Scooter Braun's Ithica Holdings purchased the rights to Swift's first six albums—“Taylor Swift,” “Fearless,” “Speak Now,” “Red,” “1989,” and “Reputation”—after acquiring her former label, Big Machine Records.
Subsequently, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock in 2020. At that time, Swift expressed her frustration, stating, “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy,” labeling Braun a “bully.”
In a bid to reclaim her artistry, the Grammy-winning singer began re-recording her albums in 2021. This strategy was part of her effort to regain control over her music.
On Friday, Swift announced on her website that she had successfully purchased all of her original music. “I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,” she wrote in a note styled like a handwritten letter.
She reflected on the journey, recalling moments of hope and disappointment: “A flashback sequence of all the time I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell this news.”
Swift admitted that after two decades of uncertainty, she had nearly lost hope. “I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”
Regarding her upcoming project, “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” one of the two albums yet to be re-released, she acknowledged that she hasn’t even completed a quarter of the re-recording process. However, she assured fans that both “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” and her self-titled debut album will have their moment when the time is right.
Following Swift's announcement, Braun expressed his support, stating he is “happy for her.”
