In 2019, an event unfolded that would change the trajectory of Taylor Swift’s career forever and spark conversation regarding artist rights within the music industry, which was once considered a taboo topic. Scooter Braun’s company, “Ithaca Holdings”, acquired the Big Machine Label, the record label that held the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s first six albums. This meant that Braun’s company now owned the rights to these albums, leaving Swift with no choices in the matter.
Taylor Swift expressed her disappointment and frustration with the whole situation to the public. She claimed that she had not been given the opportunity to purchase her masters herself and that she had a nonpleasant history with Scooter Braun. The situation was further complicated by Taylor leaving Big Machine in 2018, and deciding to sign a new deal with Republic Records (her current record label), which allowed her to own the masters of her new albums that she would release.
The purchase of Swift’s masters by Scooter Braun started debate about artist ownership and rights. Many fellow artists and fans showed their support for Taylor, arguing that artists should have the right to own their work. This would go on to shape history and lead the ongoing discussion about the relationship between artists and the music industry. Shining a light on the importance of artists having ownership over their work
Since Taylor Swift no longer owned her original masters, she made the decision to rerecord her first six albums, labeling them as “Taylor’s Version”, as a bold move to regain ownership over her past records. By rerecording albums like “Fearless”, “Red”, “Speak Now”, and “1989”, it gives her the power to legally use her music. She collaborated with many of the same musicians and producers who worked on the original albums, giving the new versions the essence and spirit of the originals. To add her own flair, Taylor included “From The Vault” tracks, songs that were written during the original album sessions but never released, that way fans were given something new along with the old tracks. This led to some of Taylor’s most popular songs, such as “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”.
By encouraging fans to listen to the “Taylor’s Version” recordings, she successfully shifted the focus away from the original masters and towards her owned versions. Although, on May 30th 2025, an announcement was made on Taylor Swift’s socials. The post included images of Swift posed with her original albums and the caption “You belong with me”, a reference to a song off her album “Fearless”, as well as a mention of a letter on her site.
The letter revealed that Swift had purchased all her masters, including videos, concert films, art, photography, unreleased songs and everything else that was once taken from her. Shamrock Holdings, which had previous ownership of Taylor’s masters after acquiring them from Scooter Braun, sold the masters to Swift for $360 million. A price which she was able to pay due to the success of her rerecordings and sensational Eras Tour. Fans were elated for Taylor, as regaining ownership of her masters was a battle she had been fighting for years.
As for Taylor Swift’s unreleased rerecordings, Swift revealed that she had completed rerecording her debut album, but not Reputation. The future for these albums remain a mystery, with Taylor teasing “Those 2 albums can still have their moment to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about.” Fans are excited to see what Taylor does next, as she now owns what’s rightfully hers.