Taylor Swift buys back rights to all her music, including first six albums

Swift thanked Shamrock Capital for the chance to buy her music. “Thank you to Shamrock for being the first people to offer me this opportunity,” she wrote. “They handled everything honestly, fairly and respectfully.”

She also thanked her fans, writing: “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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Taylor Swift also revealed she wouldn’t be releasing Reputation Taylor’s Version. (Photo: http://www.taylorswift.com/)

Swift’s message that the music meant more than just a business deal to her. “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,” she wrote.

Until now, fans had been waiting for her to release re-recordings of Reputation and her 2006 debut album Taylor Swift. In her letter, Swift said the re-recording of Reputation is not finished, but her debut album is ready.

“Maybe one day those two albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right,” she said. “But if it happens, it won’t be from a place of sadness or longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”

The singer’s re-recorded albums have done well on the charts. According to The Guardian , 1989 (Taylor’s Version) became her 13th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart in 2023.

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Swift began re-recording after she lost her masters, hoping to give fans new versions she could fully own. Now, with ownership restored, she said the focus has shifted. “It’s not about reclaiming anymore. It’s about celebrating.”

Read the full letter:

Hi,
I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent now right now, my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the time I dehydrated about, wished for, and pined away from a chance to get to tell you this news.  All the time I was this close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at a random intervals even since i found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words.

All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.

And all my music videos.
All the Concert films
The album art and photography
The unreleased songs.
The masters. The magic. The madness.
Every single era
My entire life’s work.

To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it. To me fans, you knowhow important this has been to me -so much more than that I meticulously recorded and re-recorded  and released 4 of my albums , calling then Taylor’s version the passionate support you showed those albums and the success story you turned the Eras tour into is why I was able t buy back my music. I can’t thank you enough for helping me reunite me with this art that i have  dedicated my life to, but never have owned until now.

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. 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. The first  tattoo might just be a huge Shamrock in the middle of my forehead. 

I know, I know, What about Rep TV?  Full Transparency. I haven’t ever recorded quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a shopping point. when I tried to remark it. All that defiance, that longing to be understand while feeling purposely misunderstood, the desperate hope, that shame-born smart and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it’s the one album in those first, that I thought couldn’t  be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or Photos, or Videos. So I kept putting it off. there will be a time(if you’re into the idea) for the album, for that unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch. I’ve already completed my re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounded now. Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge  when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. But if it happens it won’t be from  a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just eb a celebration now. 

I’m extremely heartened by the conversations this aga has reignited within my industry among artists  and Fans. Every time a new artist tells me the negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen. Thank you for being curious about that used to be the thought of as to Industry-centric for board discussion. You ‘will never know how much it mean that you cared. every single bit of it counted, and ended up us here. 

Thanks to you and  your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement. The best things that have ever been mine. Finally, actually are.

Elated and amazed, 

Taylor