Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: How much pop star pay Shamrock Capital to buy her album masters?

Taylor Swift on Friday announced that she has successfully acquired the master recordings of her first six albums

Published on: May 30, 2025, 22:03:39 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Taylor Swift on Friday announced that she has successfully acquired the master recordings of her first six albums—Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017)—from Shamrock Capital. In an emotional handwritten letter posted on her website, the Grammy winner said: “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me.”

Taylor Swift said she has acquired the masters to her albums (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

This ends a high-profile ownership dispute between Swift and Scooter Braun and Shamrock Capital. The ‘Love Story’ singer had been fighting to regain control of her music after Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings purchased Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) for $330 million in 2019, and subsequently sold the masters to Shamrock Capital for $405 million in November 2020.

How much did Taylor Swift pay for the masters?

While Swift did not disclose the terms of the deal, Billboard cited sources to report that she paid a price close to the $360-million price tag Shamrock paid back in 2021.

“We are thrilled with this outcome and are so happy for Taylor,” Shamrock Capital said in a statement. This comes years after Taylor Swift started re-recording and releasing her first six albums in an attempt to regain control of her music.

Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun

In June 2019, Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired BMLG, including Swift’s masters, for $330 million. Swift claimed she was not informed of the sale and was denied a fair opportunity to buy her masters.

In November 2020, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock Capital for $405 million. Swift alleged Braun required Shamrock to withhold communication with her until the deal was complete and rejected an equity partnership with Shamrock because Braun would continue to profit.

Starting in November 2020, the pop star re-recorded four of her six albums, releasing Taylor’s Version editions that outperformed the originals.

In between re-recordings, Taylor Swift has released new music, including last year’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, announced during the 2024 Grammys and released during her record-breaking tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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