Taylor Swift Regains Ownership of First Six Albums for $360 Million

Taylor Swift has officially purchased the rights to her first six albums—Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation—from private equity firm Shamrock Capital for approximately $360 million, marking a significant victory after years of public disputes over her master recordings. The rights were initially acquired by music manager Scooter Braun in 2019 when he bought Big Machine Records, which owned Swift's masters, a move Swift publicly criticized as losing her life's work without the opportunity to buy it back. Swift expressed profound joy and relief in a heartfelt statement, emphasizing that all her music, videos, concert films, and unreleased material now belong to her, ending a two-decade struggle. Shamrock Capital reportedly earned substantial profits from licensing and streaming during the interim but sold the catalog back to Swift fairly, a process she described as respectful and honest. This acquisition allows Swift to stop re-recording her earlier albums, a strategy she had pursued to regain control, and solidifies her full autonomy over her creative legacy. The deal caps a long-standing dispute involving Braun, Shamrock Capital, and Swift, highlighting the complexities artists face regarding ownership of their work in the music industry.