Taylor Swift has bought back the music rights to her first six albums. The singer announced this in a detailed letter to fans on her website on Friday. “I would be carefully expressing myself if I say this is my biggest dream come true,” she writes.
“I almost thought it would never happen again, but it’s all in the past now. Since I found out, I burst into tears at random moments now that it’s really happening,” she writes. “Finally I can say: all the music I ever made now belongs to me.”
She also owns all the rights to her music videos, concert films, album covers and unreleased songs. “My complete life’s work.”
“To my fans: you know how important this has been to me, so important that I have re-recorded and released four albums under the name ‘Taylor’s Version’.” The singer thanks her fans for their infinite support and backing.
Scooter Braun
The rights have been held by Shamrock Capital in recent years. The investment company bought them in 2019 as part of a larger acquisition of the Big Machine record label from Scooter Braun. Because she could no longer decide on her own music, Swift decided to re-record and release her six oldest albums under her own name.
According to Swift, the process with Shamrock Capital went “carefully and respectfully”. “This was a business deal for them, but they felt what it meant to me. I am eternally grateful,” said the singer.
In recent months, Swift’s fans have been waiting for the re-release of Reputation, but that is not coming. “To be clear: I hadn’t even re-recorded a quarter of it,” she says.
According to the singer, it was the only album of the six that could not be improved and she therefore kept postponing it. She has already re-recorded her debut album, but Swift does not say whether and when that album will be released.