Singer no longer owns her first albums in 2019 after Big Machine, her former record label, was bought by Scooter Braun
Pop star Taylor Swift said Friday she has purchased the master recordings from her first six albums, giving her control over all of her music following a dispute with her former record label. Swift’s master recordings were sold in 2019 and the singer said she was not given the opportunity to buy them at the time. She re-recorded four of the albums under the subtitle “Taylor’s Version.” Swift bought the master recordings from current owner Shamrock Capital in what she called her “biggest dream come true.” Financial terms were not disclosed. “I have been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals since finding out this is actually happening,” she said in a statement on her website. “I can truly say these words: Every song I have ever made … now belongs … to me.”
The “Fortnight” singer also said she had re-recorded her 2006 self-titled debut album and parts of her 2017 release “Reputation.” She said she would release them “when the time is right, if that’s something that excites them.” Swift has won 14 Grammys, including an unprecedented four trophies for album of the year, and recently wrapped up the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. The 35-year-old singer recorded her first six albums, which included hits like “Shake It Off” and “You Belong With Me,” with Big Machine Label Group before leaving in 2018 for Universal Music Group.
Music executive Scooter Braun bought Big Machine in 2019, and Swift has publicly accused him of bullying her and refusing to give her the chance to buy her master recordings. Swift said in 2020 that BMG had sold her music to Shamrock. Media reports at the time said the deal was worth more than $300 million.
Representatives for Braun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Swift praised executives at Shamrock, which was founded by Roy E. Disney, Walt Disney’s nephew, for being “honest, fair and respectful.”
ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT:
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, director, and businesswoman. Known for her narrative compositions that often focus on her personal life, which receive extensive media coverage. Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at age 14 to pursue a career in country music. During the same period, she signed a contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and in 2005 with Big Machine Records, which released her first two albums, the self-titled (2006) and Fearless (2008). The latter, certified diamond in the United States, was the first of all her subsequent albums to reach the top of the Billboard 200. Her subsequent releases, Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017) each sold more than a million copies in their opening weeks in the United States, making Swift the first artist in history to achieve this feat. The last three mentioned recalibrated her image from country to pop music.
