After a years-long public and emotional battle to reclaim her music, Taylor Swift has officially taken ownership of the master recordings of her first six studio albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation. The Grammy-winning artist shared the long-awaited news on May 30th, announcing that she had reached a deal with Shamrock Capital to own her entire musical catalog from her early career.
“All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me,” Swift wrote in a heartfelt letter posted on her official website.
The saga dates back to 2019, when Swift revealed that Scooter Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings LLC, had acquired her former label, Big Machine Records, in a $300 million deal. The purchase included the master recordings of her first six albums — a move that Swift publicly denounced, accusing Braun of bullying and manipulating her.
In 2020, Braun sold Big Machine, and with it the master rights, to investment firm Shamrock Capital. While Swift was initially hesitant to work with the company due to Braun’s continued financial involvement at the time, it appears the situation has now changed — leading to her new deal with Shamrock that gives her full control of her early music.
Now signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group, Swift reflected on the significance of this milestone. “All my music videos, and all the concert films, the album art and photography, the unreleased songs, the memories, the magic, the madness — every single era — my entire life’s work,” she wrote.
Throughout this battle, Swift took matters into her own hands by re-recording her earlier albums, releasing Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — a move both symbolic and strategic in reclaiming her narrative and rights.
In addition to revisiting her past, Swift has continued to thrive creatively with the release of new albums including Lover, Midnights, and the 2024 smash hit The Tortured Poets Department. In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, she expressed how meaningful the re-recording process had been. “It has already proven to be both exciting and creatively fulfilling,” she said. “I have plenty of surprises in store. I want to thank you guys for supporting me through this ongoing saga, and I can’t wait for you to hear what I’ve been dreaming of.”
Now, with her music officially back in her own hands, Taylor Swift’s journey comes full circle — a powerful reminder of artistic autonomy and resilience in the face of industry control.
