It looks like Taylor Swift had to dig deep into her pockets
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Taylor Swift has reportedly spent a jaw-dropping amount of money to reclaim ownership of her master recordings, according to a new report that’s been making headlines.
On May 30, Swift confirmed the big news on her official website. She announced that she had successfully bought back her masters, which she emotionally described as her "entire life's work."
She had originally lost control over the master recordings of her first six albums back in 2019. This came after her contract with Big Machine Label Group came to an end the previous year.
Those masters were later acquired by music executive Scooter Braun—who’s known for managing artists like Justin Bieber—via his company, Ithaca Holdings. Eventually, they were purchased again by Shamrock Capital in late 2020.
But after what Swift described as “20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,” she finally got them back. Reflecting on the experience, she said: "All the times I was this close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through."
She went on to say: "But that's all in the past now… I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made… now belongs to me."
Taylor Swift confirmed in a statement she had bought back her masters
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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That includes everything—her music videos, concert films, album artwork, behind-the-scenes photos, unreleased songs, cherished memories, all the creative highs and lows, and each distinct era. In her words, it was her entire life’s work. ""
Billboard later reported that Swift had paid quite a significant sum to secure the rights to all of this.
There were widespread rumors swirling around online, with some claiming that she spent anywhere between $600 million and $1 billion. However, outlets like The Guardian have suggested that those numbers might not be accurate after all.
As per Billboard’s report, Shamrock had originally bought the masters for about $360 million. They were said to have sold them to Swift for nearly the same price they had paid.
In her message, Swift expressed deep appreciation for the way Shamrock handled the deal from start to finish. She added: "I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me."
"The way they've handled every interaction we've had has been honest, fair and respectful. This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: my memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams."
Swift also thanked her fans for enabling her to make the purchase
Kevin Winter/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
"I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead."
Shamrock also put out a public statement on their website. In it, they said: "We are thrilled with this outcome and are so happy for Taylor."
As for Braun, he shared his thoughts with The Independent and said: "I am happy for her."
In her statement, Swift emphasized just how meaningful the entire journey had been for her. She shared that she was “extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans.”
"Thank you for being curious about something that used to be thought of as too industry-centric for broad discussion. You'll never know how much it means to me that you cared. Every single bit of it counted, and ended us up here." she concluded.