Taylor Swift Buys Back Her Masters: The Timeline
Taylor Swift finally has control of the music she’s created!
She posted the surprise announcement on Instagram: she bought back the master recordings of her first six albums. Billboard reported she bought them from Shamrock Capital, the private equity firm that purchased them from Ithaca Holdings in late 2020. The selling price was reportedly close to what Shamrock paid: $360 million.
In a message on her website, Swift says: “All the times I was this close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. 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. All of 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.”
This dramatic saga started unfolding six years ago in June 2019, although some could argue the wheels were set in motion in 2018! Below are relevant dates in the timeline:
November 2018: Swift departs her record label Big Machine Label Group, under which she released her first six albums. She signs with Universal Music Group, releasing her future albums under Republic Records.
June 2019: Ithaca Holdings, owned by Scooter Braun, purchased Big Machine Label Group, and thus, all of Swift’s master recordings. Swift publicly stated her displeasure with the sale. Swift said she had been trying to buy the masters, but Big Machine would allow her to do so only if she exchanged one new album for each older one under a new contract, which she refused to sign.
November 2020: Swift begins re-recording her back catalog in an effort to take back control of her own music.
April 2021: “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” was released.
November 2021: “Red (Taylor’s Version)” was released.
July 2023: “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” was released.
October 2023: “1989 “Taylor’s Version)” was released.
May 2025: Swift announces she has bought back her master recordings.
Many Swifties are now wondering about the re-recordings of the two remaining albums. Swift addressed that in her statement: “I know, I know. What about Rep TV? Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it. All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it’s the one album in the first 6 that I thought couldn’t be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch. I’ve already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now. Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. But if it happens, it won’t be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”
You can read the full statement on her website here.
