How Did Taylor Swift Buy Back Her Music?

Taylor Swift bought the original master recordings for her first six albums from Shamrock Capital in 2025. Before that sale, the recordings had moved from Big Machine to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings and then to Shamrock. Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” albums were newly made recordings, not the original masters she ultimately purchased.

Who owned Taylor Swift’s original masters before she bought them?

Swift signed with Big Machine in 2005, when she was 15. Under that early deal, the label retained the master recordings of her first six albums. After Swift’s contract with Big Machine expired, label founder Scott Borchetta sold the label and its catalog to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2019. Shamrock Capital acquired the masters from Braun in 2020; Swift later bought them from Shamrock. The Guardian described Shamrock’s 2020 acquisition price as a reported $300 million, not a verified figure for Swift’s later purchase.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		The Life of a Showgirl[Sweat & Vanilla Perfume Orange Glitter Vinyl]	$26.30	Buy on Amazon
2		1989 (Taylor's Version)[2 LP]	$44.99	Buy on Amazon
3		folklore[Beige 2 LP]	$34.83	Buy on Amazon
4		Speak Now (Taylor's Version)[Orchid Marbled 3 LP]	$45.97	Buy on Amazon
5		1989 [2 LP]	$24.91	Buy on Amazon

The albums covered by the deal are Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017).

What did Swift buy back?

Swift announced the purchase on May 30, 2025. The Guardian reported that her letter described the reacquired assets as including the original masters, music videos, concert films, album art, photography, and unreleased songs. In June 2025, the newspaper corrected its account to clarify that Swift had never previously owned the first six albums’ master recordings.

#1 Best Overall

Sale

The Life of a Showgirl[Sweat & Vanilla Perfume Orange Glitter Vinyl]

• Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, will be released worldwide October 3, 2025

$26.30

Buy on Amazon

Swift called the deal an outright purchase “with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy.” That is her public description of the arrangement; the cited reports do not include the sale contract or its detailed legal terms. Shamrock said it was “thrilled with this outcome”, according to the Associated Press.

How are “Taylor’s Version” albums different?

A master is a particular sound recording. Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” releases are new recordings of songs from the earlier albums, not the original recordings she bought from Shamrock. The Associated Press reported that she had released four re-recorded albums between 2021 and 2023:

Rank #2

1989 (Taylor's Version)[2 LP]

• The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27th

$44.99

Buy on Amazon

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

Swift said fan support for those recordings and the success of the Eras Tour helped make the purchase possible; no specific amount of revenue from either is established in the cited reports. Owning the original masters is also not the same as resolving every separate songwriting or publishing right. The cited coverage focuses on the recordings rather than detailing the rights to each composition.

In her May 2025 letter, Swift said she had completely rerecorded her self-titled debut, but had not rerecorded a quarter of Reputation. She left open the possibility that rerecorded versions or “From the Vault” tracks could appear later. Those comments describe the status and intentions she expressed at the time; they do not establish a later release date.

Rank #3

folklore[Beige 2 LP]

• Swift's album, folklore, now on Beige 2 LP coming July 23rd! "Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn't planned on that DID happen

$34.83

Buy on Amazon

How much did Swift pay for the masters?

The Associated Press did not disclose the 2025 purchase price. The Guardian reported Shamrock’s 2020 acquisition price as $300 million, while describing it as a reported figure. That earlier figure is not the price Swift paid in 2025. The Guardian also said rumors of a $600 million to $1 billion price for Swift’s purchase were inaccurately high, but did not give a final sale value. The transaction price remains unstated in the cited coverage.

Why did she rerecord the albums before buying the originals?

The rerecordings gave Swift new recordings distinct from the masters held by other owners. They also became part of the public story leading up to her purchase: Swift credited fan support for the new versions and the Eras Tour’s success with helping her reach the point where she could buy the originals. The available reporting does not establish that the rerecordings generated a specific sum or that any one release directly financed the transaction.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1

The Life of a Showgirl[Sweat & Vanilla Perfume Orange Glitter Vinyl]

$26.30

Bestseller No. 2

1989 (Taylor's Version)[2 LP]

$44.99

Bestseller No. 3

folklore[Beige 2 LP]

$34.83

Bestseller No. 4

Speak Now (Taylor's Version)[Orchid Marbled 3 LP]

$45.97

Bestseller No. 5

1989 [2 LP]

$24.91

Best Value

1989 [2 LP]

$24.91

Buy on Amazon

Rank #4

Speak Now (Taylor's Version)[Orchid Marbled 3 LP]

• Speak Now (Taylor's Version) features 22 songs, including 6 previously unreleased Songs From The Vault

$45.97

Buy on Amazon

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.