'Mine', at last—Taylor Swift officially owns her first six albums

Few pop culture moments feel as historic as Taylor Swift announcing she has officially reclaimed ownership of her first six albums!

Six years ago, Taylor Swift’s master recordings were sold—first to Scooter Braun, then again to Shamrock Holdings. But on 30 May 2025—in a move that left fans and the industry stunned—Swift officially reclaimed the rights to her first six albums. It’s a landmark moment for music—and a defining one for Swift’s legacy.

Speculation had been building around a Reputation (Taylor’s Version) drop, especially following the AMAs this past Monday. But the news of Swift regaining her masters—accompanied by a heartfelt letter hinting at the status of Rep (TV)—came entirely out of left field.

Back to 2019

For those who don't know, Swift has been in the music industry for nearly two decades, and throughout her career, she’s been vocal about one thing—wanting to own her work. Before she came along, very few artists had ownership over their masters, which typically belonged to their record labels.

Swift was signed to Big Machine Records until 2018, after which she moved to Universal. When her masters were sold in 2019, she revealed on Tumblr that her previous label had offered her a deal: for every new album she delivered, she could earn back the rights to an older one. But all of that changed when the catalogue was sold to Scooter Braun—a man with a long track record of undermining Swift. That was when she took to Instagram, announcing plans to re-record her first six albums so she could own them herself.

In 2021, we saw the very first Taylor’s Versions arrive—Fearless and Red. Following that, in 2023, we got Speak Now and 1989. And then, her five new albums—Lover, folklore, evermore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department—plus the record-breaking Eras Tour. Safe to say Swift has been more than booked and busy.

A “26” rumoured to be hidden on her Reputation-era bodysuit, a 26 per cent discount on her website, homepage sections spelling out “AMAS,” and Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version) appearing in The Handmaid’s Tale had fans convinced that Reputation (Taylor’s Version) was just around the corner.

And then, the post

Cut to May 30, 2025, Swift posted an image of herself holding her original albums, captioned: “You belong with me 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤.” And the internet erupted! Social media was flooded with reactions as fans celebrated the moment, declaring it “Independence Tay” and “Swiftiependence Day.”

In a note shared on her website, Swift wrote, “Hi, I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow (…) All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”

She thanked Shamrock Capital for their transparency, adding that the offer was extended at nearly the same price they paid in 2020, according to reports from BBC and Billboard. She also addressed the status of Reputation (Taylor's Version) with characteristic honesty, “Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it.” However, she hinted that Debut (Taylor’s Version) is already complete, giving fans plenty to look forward to.

A historic moment for Swift and her fans 

Swift’s crusade for artistic ownership has been nearly a decade in the making. From pulling her entire catalogue from Spotify in 2014 over the platform’s royalty structure, to the very public sale of her masters, to her impassioned Woman of the Decade speech at the 2019 Billboard Women in Music event—she’s never shied away from this fight. But the decision to re-record her old albums wasn’t just a clever workaround—it was a masterclass in business strategy. By reimagining her early records with fresh vocals and vault tracks, Swift turned albums released as far back as 2008 into chart-topping hits all over again in the 2020s.

Newer artists such as Olivia Rodrigo have taken Swift’s tale as a cautionary one, lobbying for artistic ownership a non-negotiable with their teams. For decades, artists were bound by the fine print of their record deals—but Swift’s blueprint has sparked a noticeable shift. Her re-recorded albums didn’t just match the originals in popularity—they surpassed them. In response, record labels have quietly introduced new clauses forbidding re-recordings for a longer duration of time.

We’ve always known that Taylor is a mastermind. But on a Friday, in a cafe, we watched her 'Begin Again'!

Lead image credit: Getty Images 

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