Taylor Swift Achieves Monumental Ownership of Music Catalog

In a landmark moment for her career, Taylor Swift has finally achieved her long-held dream of owning the masters to her entire music catalog. On May 30, 2025, Swift announced through a heartfelt letter on her website that she has purchased the masters of her first six albums from Shamrock Capital, marking the end of a years-long dispute over the ownership of her music.

The journey to this milestone was not without its challenges. In 2019, Swift's former record label, Big Machine Records, was sold to Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings, transferring the rights to her first six studio albums – *Taylor Swift* (2006), *Fearless* (2008), *Speak Now* (2010), *Red* (2012), *1989* (2014), and *Reputation* (2017) – to Braun. This move was met with significant backlash from Swift, who described it as her "worst case scenario."

In response, Swift embarked on a mission to re-record these albums to regain control over her music. By the end of 2023, she had already released re-recorded versions of *Fearless*, *Red*, *Speak Now*, and *1989*, titled as "Taylor's Version" of each album. However, the ultimate goal was always to own the original masters outright.

Swift's announcement was met with immense joy and relief. In her letter, she expressed her emotions, saying, "I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made… now belongs… to me."[1][2][4].

This purchase includes not only the music but also all associated creative properties such as music videos, concert films, album art, photography, and unreleased songs. Swift thanked Shamrock Capital for facilitating the sale, emphasizing that this achievement was possible "in spite of Scooter Braun, not because of him," according to a source close to the negotiations[4].

The news has been celebrated by fans and supporters alike, with Swift even posting a heartfelt image on Instagram surrounded by her first six albums, captioned "You belong with me," a nod to her 2008 hit from the album *Fearless*[2][3].

This milestone signifies a new era of autonomy and creative control for Taylor Swift, allowing her to manage her entire music catalog with full ownership and no external influences. As she continues to work on re-recording the remaining parts of her catalog, including the pending release of "Reputation (Taylor's Version)," Swift's fans eagerly anticipate what the future holds for this talented artist[2].

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI