Taylor Swift reclaims her master recordings after years-long legal battle

After a long battle to gain ownership over her songs, Taylor Swift has finally emerged victorious – securing control over her entire music catalogue.

The star took to her official website this Friday, in a hand-written note which read, “All of the music I’ve ever made…now belong…to me. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy…ever since I found out that this is actually happening”.

In the official statement, Swift mentioned that she had bought her originals from the private equity firm Shamrock Capital, the most recent owner of her work. She expressed her gratitude to the firm, saying, “I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me”

The singer confessed how the dream of attaining the ownership had seemed unachievable for long. “To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it.”

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Initially owned by Big Machine Records, the ownership of her recordings has changed hands several times; leading to a controversial sale to music manager Scooter Braun, triggering a legal battle. In the music industry, though an artist may receive royalties; the owner of a master recording decides how the work can be used in the future. Thus, the infamous sale had set off a public dispute; forcing Swift to re-record her first six albums, in order to diminish the value of the master tapes.

The 35-year-old thanked her fans who had turned her re-recorded works and albums into a success and subsequently helped her buy back her music. “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.”

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Marking the end of a chapter where her creations were not under her control, Swift ended the statement by mentioning her happiness in learning that her battles have helped various other artists negotiate in order to own their master recordings.

For Swift, “after almost twenty years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away”, she has reaped her result. She has now reclaimed her music legacy which remains dear to many worldwide.

 

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