Victory for Taylor Swift as She Buys Back Her Master Recordings After Years-Long Battle

Taylor Swift has officially regained ownership of her first six studio albums, marking a major victory in a long-running and emotional fight over the rights to her early music.

The pop superstar announced the news on her official website, writing, “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me.” She added, “I’ve been bursting into tears of joy... ever since I found out this is really happening.”

A Years-Long Fight for Control

The battle began in 2019 when music executive Scooter Braun purchased Swift’s former record label, Big Machine. The deal included the master recordings of her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation.

Swift objected strongly to the sale, accusing Braun of enabling “incessant, manipulative bullying” from rapper Kanye West, one of his clients. She also criticized the lack of transparency and her inability to buy the masters herself at the time.

A Dream Realized

On her website, Swift said that regaining her music had once felt impossible. “To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” she wrote.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,” she added. “But that’s all in the past now.”

Why It Matters

In the music industry, owning a master recording means having control over how a song is distributed, licensed, or used in media. While artists typically earn royalties from their music, those who own their masters have far more control over their work’s future.