Taylor Swift Reclaims Her Musical Legacy in Landmark Victory
A major chapter in pop music history has just closed. On Friday, May 30, Taylor Swift announced she has officially bought back the rights to the original recordings of her first six albums, concluding a nearly six-year-long saga that captivated her fans and rocked the music industry.
“All the music I’ve ever created… now belongs to me,” she wrote emotionally on her official website. The statement marks a triumphant milestone for the American singer, who has been fighting since 2019 to regain control of her work, after seeing her master recordings — the coveted original versions — fall into the hands of industry powerhouse Scooter Braun following his acquisition of her former label, Big Machine.
From Legal Setback to Creative Rebirth
Swift described the sale as a deeply personal loss, claiming she had been “stripped of the work of [her] life.” But what began as a blow turned into one of the most daring and successful moves of her career: the re-recording of her early albums. Between 2021 and 2023, she released Taylor’s Version editions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989, each featuring updated covers and previously unreleased tracks. These new versions outperformed the originals, fueled by the unwavering support of her fans — the “Swifties” — and the massive success of her Eras Tour, which became the highest-grossing tour in history, generating over $2 billion.
This latest acquisition was made from Shamrock Holdings, the investment firm that had purchased the rights from Scooter Braun. The purchase price remains undisclosed. Swift now owns the complete body of work that launched her career — from audio recordings and music videos to album artwork and unpublished material.
Two Albums Still Await Their Revival
Two albums, however, have yet to be re-released in her own version: Taylor Swift (2006) and Reputation (2017). The first has already been re-recorded, while the second remains a challenge: “That album is so rooted in a period of my life that I hit a wall when I try to revisit it,” she admits.
This acquisition fulfills a long-held ambition: “All I ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to one day buy back my music. No strings. No deals. Total independence,” she concludes.
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