Roommates, congratulations are in order! Taylor Swift has regained control over her entire body of work. In a lengthy note on her official website, the singer announced: “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me.” Friday’s update comes amid her efforts to re-record her earlier music for the same reasons. Now, the masters from her first six albums are all hers!
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Taylor Swift Secures Her Masters In Undisclosed Sale
On her site, Taylor Swift said she purchased her catalog of recordings — originally released through Big Machine Records — from their most recent owner, the private equity firm Shamrock Capital. However, she did not reveal the amount she paid. In recent years, Swift has been rerecording and releasing her first six albums in an attempt to regain control of her music.
“I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now,” Taylor said, addressing fans in the post. “The best things that have ever been mine … finally actually are.”
Meanwhile, Shamrock Capital’s statement on the matter said: “We are thrilled with this outcome and are so happy for Taylor.”
Why Was Taylor Re-Recording Her Albums?
Taylor Swift began re-recording after Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun purchased and sold her early catalog. She aimed to control her own songs and how they were used. On Friday, Braun reportedly said, “I am happy for her.”
Her previous ‘Taylor’s Version’ releases have been more than conventional re-recordings. They also arrived with new “from the vault” music, Easter eggs, and visuals that deepened their understanding of her work. The singer has also released new music, including last year’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ She announced it during the 2024 Grammys and released it during her record-breaking tour.
So far, there have been four rerecorded albums, beginning with ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ and ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ in 2021. All four have been massive commercial and cultural successes, each one debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Swift’s last re-recording, ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version),’ arrived in October 2023, just four months after the release of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).’ That was the same year Swift claimed the record for the woman with the most No. 1 albums in history.
What Happens Next For Taylor Swift?
Fans have speculated that ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’ would be next. On May 19, ‘Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)’ aired nearly in full during the opening scene of a Season 6 episode of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ Before that, the song was teased in 2023’s Prime Video limited series thriller ‘Wilderness.’ The same goes for Apple TV+’s ‘The Dynasty: New England Patriots’ in 2024. Also in 2023, she contributed ‘Delicate (Taylor’s Version)’ to Prime Video’s ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty.’
But, according to the note shared Friday, Taylor Swift says she hasn’t “even rerecorded a quarter of it.” She did say, however, that she has completely rerecorded her self-titled debut album. Now, she “really [loves] how it sounds.” She also said that her self-titled debut and ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’ “can still have their moments to reemerge when the time is right.”
Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman contributed to this report.
