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Swift has regained full ownership of her master recordings, music videos, concert films, and album artwork. The pop sensation announced the move in a heartfelt message on her website on Friday, May 30.
The 35-year-old said after two decades of "having the carrot dangled and then yanked away," she could finally share words she'd been waiting to say.
"All of the music I've ever made... now belongs... to me," Swift wrote. "And all my music videos. All the concert films. The album art and photography. The unreleased songs. The memories. The magic. The madness. Every single era. My entire life's work.
"To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it."
The West Reading, Pennsylvania, native had been locked in a highly public feud with music executive Scooter Braun since June 2019, when his company, Ithaca Holdings, purchased Big Machine Records. The acquisition gave Braun control of Swift's first six albums.
Swift said that to buy her music back from Braun, she needed to sign an "ironclad" nondisclosure agreement, requiring her to speak only positively about him. When she refused, Braun then sold her masters to private equity firm Shamrock Capital for $300 million in late 2020.
People magazine reported that Braun didn't facilitate the latest deal that helped Swift reclaim her discography.
"Contrary to a previous false report, there was no outside party who 'encouraged' this sale," the source told People. "All rightful credit for this opportunity should go to the partners at Shamrock Capital and Taylor's Nashville-based management team only. Taylor now owns all of her music, and this moment finally happened in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him."
In her announcement, Swift praised Shamrock for helping her gain complete control of her music.
"The way they've handled every interaction we've had has been honest, fair, and respectful," she wrote. "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.
"I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a shamrock in the middle of my forehead."
Before purchasing her life's work, Swift re-recorded four of her first five albums with the paranthetical "Taylor's Version." Since she still possessed the copyrights to the music and lyrics, the re-recordings were released to give her new ownership over hits off the albums "Fearless," "Red," "Speak Now," and "1989."
Swift said her battle to win back her artwork has inspired other musicians to watch for predatory deals and arrangements.
"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," she wrote. "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."
Acquiring her music catalog is the latest move Swift has made as a business-minded artist.
The Eras Tour, which included more than 150 concerts worldwide, grossed more than $2 billion and generated a $10 billion impact on local economies. A book released in April by Harvard Business Review author Kevin Evers dives into how Swift's financial prowess has not only reshaped her career but the music industry as a whole.
Swift's latest deal shows her financial "Reputation" isn't going away anytime soon.
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