Taylor Swift buys back all master rights to her first albums!

Taylor Swift buys back all master rights to her first albums!

Taylor Swift recently successfully bought back the rights to her first six albums, a move that is the result of a long-running legal battle over her music rights. According to krone.at, the purchase price is around $360 million and the rights come from Shamrock Capital. These albums include Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017).

The recapture of the master rights includes not only the albums themselves, but also music videos, concert films, unreleased songs as well as illustrations and photos. The ownership dispute began when Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine Label Group, which owned the master rights to these albums, in 2019. In 2020, Braun sold the rights to Shamrock Capital, further complicating the issue.

A significant purchase and personal significance

In a handwritten letter to her fans published on May 30, Swift called the deal her "biggest dream come true." Swift, who has signed a deal with Universal since 2018 that gives her master rights to future albums, has already re-recorded four of her first albums under the title “Taylor’s Version.”

Previous new releases include “Fearless” (Taylor’s Version), “Red” (Taylor’s Version), “Speak Now” (Taylor’s Version) and “1989” (Taylor’s Version). However, work on the re-recordings of the self-titled debut album and “Reputation” has not yet progressed very far. The decision to buy back the master rights reflects Swift's desire to be able to own her music without strings attached and with full autonomy.

Financial dimensions and market players

The financial details of the transaction were not fully disclosed, but Variety reported it was a "nine-figure sum." Page Six estimates put the deal's value at between $600 million and $1 billion - a significant increase compared to the $405 million Shamrock Capital paid for the rights in 2020.

Swift’s success as an artist is unmistakable. According to IFPI data, she was the highest-grossing recording artist worldwide in 2024. Additionally, her “Eras” world tour became the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Despite these successes, Swift has not yet announced any new music releases or performances following her recent tour.

Buying back their master rights and re-recording their albums are not only economic decisions, but also a way of creative self-expression and control over their own artistic identity. Swift shows how important it is to appear in the music industry not only as an artist, but also as an entrepreneur.