How much did Taylor Swift pay to reclaim her master recordings?

Taylor Swift has reclaimed ownership of her first six albums, putting an end to what the singer described as “her worst-case scenario.” Now, speculations are rife about the specific amount that she acquired her master's for.

Some news outlets report that the Look What You Made Me Do hitmaker’s early catalog cost her between $600 million and $1 billion. The Guardian has debunked these reports, although the publication did not disclose the official figure.

According to Billboard, sources familiar with the negotiation disclosed that the singer paid close to $360 million for her first six albums—a figure close to what Shamrock had paid Scooter Braun during the second acquisition of the singer’s masters in 2021.

Note that neither Swift nor Shamrock has confirmed any figure from the deal.

In a press statement released on the singer’s website, Swift described the experience of fighting for her catalog:

“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.”

When did the Taylor Swift catalog drama start?

The Taylor Swift catalog drama began in June 2019 when Ithaca Holdings, owned by Scooter Braun, purchased Big Machine Label Group, which owned the masters of Taylor Swift’s first six albums, for $300 million. Swift expressed her displeasure at Scooter Braun owning rights to her albums, stating that she wasn’t allowed to purchase her life’s work and that the deal felt like “incessant, manipulative bullying.”

The singer also stated that she was asked to sign an NDA to prevent her from speaking negatively about Braun if she wanted to buy her catalog back. Scooter Braun resold Swift’s Masters to Shamrock in 2021, and Swift spoke out on X, stating that it was the second time her Masters had been sold without her knowledge.

She added:

"I was hopeful and open to the possibility of a partnership with Shamrock, but Scooter's participation is a non-starter for me,"

Swift began re-recording her old albums by releasing “Taylor’s Version” in a bid to stop Braun from profiting off her work. She released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in April 2021 and Red (Taylor’s Version) in November 2021. In 2023, she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

Taylor Swift, in the closing statement of her press release, thanked her fans for helping her buy back her music.

Also read:

Trending

1) Fans spiral as Baekhyun cozies up to mystery woman in ‘Lemonade’ teaser: “I’m not jealous, but I am”

2) Why are SEVENTEEN's S.Coups and Mingyu under fire? Complete drama explained as 'BOYCOTT_CHOIZA_ROAD' trends on X

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback