NEWSTaylor Swift Triumphs: Singer Reclaims Her Masters After 6-Year Battle With Scooter Braun
Taylor Swift has officially regained her master recordings, ending a six-year saga that began with Scooter Braun’s 2019 acquisition of her catalog.
June 2 2025, Published 8:12 p.m. ET
Taylor Swift has successfully bought back her masters, reclaiming her music catalog six years after Scooter Braun acquired it. In 2019, Braun purchased the master recordings of Swift's first six albums from Big Machine Label Group for $300 million.
Following significant backlash over the acquisition, he sold the masters to investment firm Shamrock Capital in 2020. Swift finalized the purchase back from Shamrock Capital in May.
In 2019, Scooter Braun acquired the masters of Taylor Swift’s first six albums, which dissatisfied the 'Style' singer.
"I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away," Swift shared in a heartfelt letter to fans on her website on May 30. "But that's all in the past now. All of the music I've ever made … now belongs … to me."
In addition to her masters, Swift regained ownership of her music videos, concert films, album art, photography and unreleased songs from Shamrock.
Taylor Swift wrote a heartfelt letter to fans as she announced reacquiring her music.
"All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy," she expressed.
"I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me. The way they've handled every interaction we've had has been honest, fair and respectful. This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: my memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams. I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead," she added.
Taylor Swift also regained rights to her music videos, concert films and unreleased tracks.
Swift has not shied away from discussing her feelings about Braun's initial purchase of her masters, expressing her frustration multiple times over the years.
"Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy," she stated in a Tumblr post when the sale first emerged. "Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it."
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After the sale was finalized, Swift announced her plans to rerecord her first six albums — Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation — to secure ownership of the rights. As of this publication, she has released all re-recordings except for Reputation (Taylor's Version)* and Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version).
Just prior to the announcement of the sale, Page Six reported on May 21 that Braun was involved in the "Call It What You Want" singer buying back her masters from Shamrock Capital.
Taylor Swift said she hasn't re-recorded 'Reputation.'
"Interestingly enough, one of the individuals who is encouraging this deal to take place is Scooter, who was at the center of the deal the first time around alongside Big Machine," a source disclosed at the time.
Braun has also been candid about how the sale has affected him. At a screening of the documentary Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood in October 2024, he shared insights about the controversy surrounding Swift's former record label.
"I watched [the documentary] recently. I wasn't going to watch it because I just thought it was going to be, like, another hit piece," he told the crowd in Los Angeles, according to footage shared on YouTube.
"And I pretty much stayed quiet about this kind of stuff. And my dad called me and my mom and they were like, we just watched it. We think you should watch it. So I did."
He added, "Look, it's five years later. I think, everyone, it's time to move on. There were a lot of things that were misrepresented."
Reports revealed that Scooter Braun supported Taylor Swift's recent deal with Shamrock.
Braun emphasized the importance of direct communication during conflicts, suggesting that internet is not the appropriate venue for resolution.
"I think doing it out on social media and in front of the whole world is not the place," he asserted. "I think when people actually take the time to stand in front of each other and have a conversation, they usually find out the monster's not real. And that has not happened."
