Taylor Swift Finally Owns Her Music After Years-Long Battle With Scooter Braun; Full Story Explained

Taylor Swift now owns all her music after a long fight with music manager Scooter Braun. She announced this big news on May 30, 2025, in a letter to fans. Braun, who once controlled her early albums, simply said, “I am happy for her” in response.

This marks the end of a six-year struggle over who owns Swift’s first six albums. The conflict started in 2019 when Braun bought her old record label, Big Machine Records. That deal gave him control of her early hits.

How the Fight Over Taylor’s Music Began

Swift signed with Big Machine Records when she was just 15. The label owned the original recordings of her first six albums. In 2018, she left Big Machine and joined Republic Records, part of Universal Music Group.

In 2019, Braun bought Big Machine for about $300 million. This meant he now owned Swift’s early music. She was furious, saying she was not given a fair chance to buy her own work.

“Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it,” Swift wrote at the time. She accused Braun of bullying her in the past through his work with Kanye West.

Swift’s Plan to Re-Record Her Albums

Since she couldn’t buy her old recordings, Swift decided to re-record them. She called these new versions “Taylor’s Version.” This way, she could own the new copies and make the old ones less valuable.

She has released four re-recorded albums so far:

• Fearless (Taylor’s Version) – 2021
• Red (Taylor’s Version) – 2021
• Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) – 2023
• 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – 2023

Each album included extra songs that didn’t make the original versions. Fans loved them, and all four became huge hits.

Braun Sells Swift’s Masters to Shamrock Capital

In 2020, Braun sold Swift’s old recordings to Shamrock Capital, a private equity firm. Swift tried to negotiate with Shamrock but later said no deal was possible because Braun would still profit from her music.

She then focused on re-recording her albums. Her success with the Eras Tour and Taylor’s Version albums gave her the money to finally buy her masters outright.

“All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to purchase my music outright with no strings attached,” Swift wrote in her May 30 letter.

What’s Next for Taylor’s Unreleased Albums?

Swift has two albums left to re-record: her 2006 debut Taylor Swift and 2017’s Reputation. She revealed that her first album is fully re-recorded.

But Reputation is different. “I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it,” she admitted. She explained that the album was tied to a very specific time in her life and was hard to remake.

Still, she teased that unreleased songs from Reputation might come out later. “There will be a time for the vault tracks to hatch,” she said.

Braun’s Short Response

After Swift’s announcement, Braun gave a brief comment: “I am happy for her.” This was his first public statement about the issue in years.

In the past, he claimed he tried to sell the masters back to Swift but said her team refused. Swift denied this, saying he wanted her to sign a strict NDA first.

Why This Fight Mattered to All Artists

Swift’s battle inspired other musicians to demand ownership of their work. Singers like Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa have since made sure they own their masters in new contracts.

“Every time a new artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was,” Swift wrote.

Her victory shows that artists can regain control of their music, even after losing it.

Fans Celebrate Swift’s Big Win

Swifties (Swift’s fans) flooded social media with joy. Many praised her for never giving up. On Instagram, Swift posted photos with vinyl copies of her first six albums, captioning it “You belong with me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Her success with the Eras Tour played a big role in funding the purchase. The tour made over $2 billion, proving her massive influence in music.

Now, after years of fighting, Taylor Swift owns every song she’s ever made.

Credits: Today, Variety, Axios, BBC, CNN

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