Last Updated: June 11, 2025
14 min read
Table of content
Was this helpful?
Taylor Swift Makes Major Investment to Reclaim Ownership of Her Music Masters
Last Updated: June 11, 2025
Table of Contents
It’s official. Taylor Swift now owns her first six albums.
For longtime fans and anyone who’s followed her journey, this is more than just a music industry headline. It’s a moment of triumph, justice, and personal redemption.
Swift’s emotional announcement sent waves through the entertainment world, and her story resonates with artists and audiences alike.
“All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me,” Taylor wrote on her website. “I’ve been bursting into tears of joy… ever since I found out this is really happening.”
Let’s take a look at how she got here, why this moment matters so much, and what it means for the future of music ownership.
The Long Road to Ownership
Taylor Swift’s battle for her masters started in 2019.
Back then, music manager Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine, the label Swift signed with when she was just 15.
Along with the label, Braun gained ownership of the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums. These included some of her biggest hits from albums like Fearless, 1989, and Red.
Swift did not take the news lightly. She had deep personal objections to Braun, claiming he was linked to what she called “manipulative bullying” from rapper Kanye West, one of Braun’s clients. The deal felt like a betrayal to her, and she was never given the chance to make a counteroffer.
“I spent 10 years of my life trying rigorously to purchase my masters outright and was then denied that opportunity,” she explained in an interview with Billboard. “Artists should maybe have the first right of refusal to buy.”
What Are Master Recordings and Why Do They Matter?
In simple terms, a master recording is the original version of a song. Owning it means you control how that song is used. This includes streaming rights, physical album production, and licensing songs for movies or advertisements.
While Swift always kept the publishing rights to her music, which allowed her to approve where it was used, she didn’t own the actual recordings. That meant her songs could be sold or licensed by someone else, without her involvement or benefit.
“I do want my music to live on. I do want it to be in movies. I do want it to be in commercials. But I only want that if I own it.”
Re-Recording Her Legacy
Faced with no ownership over her early work, Swift did something bold. She announced she would re-record all six albums. The idea was to make the old masters less valuable while reclaiming her creative legacy.
So far, she has released four of these “Taylor’s Versions,” each featuring revamped production and several bonus tracks from the vault. Fans loved the nostalgic yet fresh feel of these re-recordings.
The buzz grew with each release, especially when she dropped the full 10-minute version of All Too Well, which became a chart-topping sensation.
But there was always one album she hesitated to revisit.
“The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life,” she shared. “All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposefully misunderstood…”
She confessed that Reputation was the one album she thought might not benefit from being redone, so she put it off. Still, she hinted that some tracks from that era might emerge later as a gift to fans.
A Costly Journey, But Worth Every Penny
Although exact numbers are unclear, Swift reportedly paid a hefty sum to buy her masters back.
While previous reports estimated the value at $360 million, rumors that she paid up to $1 billion have been called inaccurate by BBC sources.
Whatever the real number, the fact remains: Swift used her own earnings to fund the deal. According to her, the massive success of the Eras tour made this possible.
“The success of the Eras tour is why I was able to buy back my music,” she wrote in her heartfelt letter to fans.
And what a success it was. The Eras tour grossed over $2 billion in ticket sales, and Forbes confirmed that Swift became the first musician to make $1 billion purely from songwriting and performing.
Inspiring a New Generation of Artists
Perhaps what’s most powerful about this moment is the ripple effect it’s had in the industry. More and more young artists are fighting for ownership in their contracts, inspired by Swift’s very public battle.
“Every time a new artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen,” she said. “You’ll never know how much it means to me that you cared. Every single bit of it counted, and ended us up here.”
Her words are a clear message that this wasn’t just a personal win, it’s a cultural shift.
What’s Next for Taylor and Her Music?
Now that Swift owns all of her music, she’s free to share it however she wants, on her own terms. She hinted at eventually releasing her self-titled debut and the vault tracks from Reputation, but made it clear there’s no pressure or sadness behind these decisions anymore.
“Those two albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right,” she said. “But if it happens, 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.”
And celebration is exactly what this moment deserves.
After years of fighting, waiting, and reimagining her past, Taylor Swift finally stands where she always belonged, in full control of her own story.
TL;DR
- Taylor Swift now owns the master recordings of her first six albums, ending a years-long battle for control over her music.
- She announced the news with joy, saying, “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me.”
- The conflict began in 2019 when Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine Label Group, gaining ownership of Swift’s early catalog.
- Swift had no opportunity to buy her masters and publicly criticized Braun and the deal, calling it “an act of aggression.”
- She responded by re-recording her albums and releasing “Taylor’s Versions” with updated production and bonus tracks.
- So far, she has released four re-recorded albums, but paused work on Reputation, saying it was “too specific to that time in my life.”
- Swift said the success of the Eras Tour, which grossed over $2 billion, gave her the financial power to buy back her music.
- Though the exact amount she paid is unknown, estimates of $600 million to $1 billion are believed to be too high.
- She always retained publishing rights, which gave her some control over how her songs were licensed, but not over the original recordings.
- Now, Swift has full control over how her early music is used in the future, including for streaming, movies, and commercials.
- She hopes her journey inspires other artists to fight for ownership, saying, “Every single bit of it counted.”
- Going forward, she plans to release more from her catalog when the time feels right, saying it will now come from “a place of celebration.”
If you liked this, you might also like:
- Behind Taylor and Kelce’s Disappearance from the Spotlight
- J.Lo Moves On and Searches for Her Yellowstone Cowboy
This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
This is exclusive content for our subscribers
Enter your email address to subscribe and get instant FREE access to all of our articles
Author
Bee DeloresAuthor
Bee DeloresLover of hiking, biking, horror movies, cats and camping. Writer at Wide Open Country, Holler and Nashville Gab.
Was this helpful?
Share this post
Send feedback to NashvilleGab
We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback about this page with us.
Whether it's praise for something good, or ideas to improve something that
isn't quite right, we're excited to hear from you.
Lucky you! This thread is empty,
which means you've got dibs on the first comment.
Go for it!