United States: Taylor Swift has finally regained ownership of the master recordings for her first six albums, ending a long and emotional battle over her music rights. These six albums include Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation.
Taylor Swift shared the news on her official website stated that, “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy, ever since I found out this is really happening.”
The fight began in 2019 when music manager Scooter Braun acquired Swift’s former label from Big Machine, which owned her early recordings. Taylor Swift strongly opposed the deal, accusing Braun of being involved in incessant and manipulative behaviour. “Reclaiming the rights to my music had, for a long time, seemed unimaginable. To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” Swift said.
After losing the masters, Swift began re-recording the albums. These new editions, labelled ‘Taylor’s Version’, gave her back control and featured bonus tracks. So far, she has released four, Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989.
Swift admitted she had not yet completed Reputation (Taylor’s Version), explaining that the album was deeply personal and closely tied to a specific period in her life. She felt it was the one album from her early catalogue that might not benefit from being re-recorded, which led her to delay the project.
Taylor Swift previewed a re-recorded version of ‘Look What You Made Me Do’, but hinted the full album may be delayed or cancelled. She confirmed her debut album has been re-recorded and added that she really love how it sounds now.
Reflecting on her career, Taylor Swift said that the success of the Eras tour made the buyback possible. Swift also thanked the fans for standing by her. She added that, “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 Swift’s message also included a nod to young artists that, “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.”
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