Taylor Swift regains control of her music after buying back rights to first six albums
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has revealed in an emotional letter that she now owns the rights to her entire discography.
Swift details how the exchange happened and what it means to her in a handwritten letter on her website, announced with a cryptic caption on a new Instagram post. She writes, “After 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away”, that “all of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”
The singer clarifies that this includes all music videos, concert films, album art and photography, unreleased songs, and “the memories. The magic. The madness”. Emotional and unbridled in the letter, Swift gushes that “to say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it.”
Swift originally lost the rights to her first six albums in 2019, when her first record label sold them to music executive Scooter Braun. In November 2020, Braun sold the master recordings to the private equity firm Shamrock Capital for a reported $300m.
Despite the years-long negotiations, Swift praises Shamrock Capital in her letter, joking that, “My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.”
They approached what was “a business deal” to them with honesty, fairness, and respect throughout. It had previously been rumoured that the deal would cost Swift anywhere between $600m and $1 billion, though this is now considered an overestimation.
Swift then reveals that she has not re-recorded more than a quarter of “Rep TV”, referencing her fourth studio album from 2017, Reputation, which includes hits like ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ and ‘Getaway Car’. She writes that the album “was so specific to that time in my life, I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it.” No amount of re-recording could make that album better, she admits.
Swift has released recorded versions of 2008’s Fearless, 2012’s Red, 2010’s Speak Now, and 2014’s 1989, alongside ‘From the vault’ tracks that were previously unreleased.
However, the ‘Shake It Off’ singer does reveal that she has re-recorded her debut album, which may still be afforded time “to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about.”
Swift is happy to follow her fans’ lead, and the overwhelming reaction of “Swifties” at the new announcement suggests more re-records will certainly hit streaming services in the near future.
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