Taylor Swift, who also happens to be the girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, posted on social media on Friday, May 30, for the first time since the end of her Eras tour last year and announced that she has regained control of her masters. The Grammy-winning musician came out with an emotional statement about what it means to get to have those masters back in her hands and really have all the rights over her music.
The one guy who has been standing in Swift’s way of having her masters the past few years has been Scooter Braun. One could call him her “nemesis,” as The Independent points out, at least when it comes to her musical career. Now, Braun has commented on Swift buying back the rights to her first six albums.
Taylor Swift’s Foe Issues Statement
Swift’s feud with music mogul Braun started in 2019, when Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Records, which gave him full control over Swift’s first six albums. At the time, Swift said it was a “worst-case scenario” and said she wasn’t allowed to purchase her masters outright and instead was given a deal to “earn” the albums back one album at a time.
But, in 2020, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock Capital more than over $300 million. Even though Swift criticized the move at the time, saying it was the second time her music was sold without her even knowing about it, it ended up being a great thing for Swift, because she eventually worked out a deal with Shamrock Capital to purchase those masters.
Now, Braun has broken his silence about the deal. His five-word statement after the move is simple: “I am happy for her,” he said.
Taylor Swift Owns Her Music Again
Swift took to her Instagram page on Friday, May 30, to share the news that she had officially bought back her music catalog. “You belong with me,” Swift shared with a range of colorful heart emojis.
“Hi. I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,” Swift posted on her website as a handwritten note. “A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news. All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through.”
She added, “I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever 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.”
Swift added that “to say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it. To my fans, you know how important this has been to me — so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released 4 of my albums, calling them Taylor’s Version.”
