How Much Did Taylor Swift Pay to Buy Her Masters? Find Out All the Details
The long road to Taylor Swift securing her masters began back in 2019 when her former manager Scooter Braun bought Big Machine Records.
Published May 30 2025, 2:18 p.m. ET
Fans of Taylor Swift have been well-informed and followed along with her on her drama-filled journey to secure the master recordings of her music, and after several years, the deal is finally done. But how much did she actually have to pay to buy them back?
The long road to securing her masters began back in 2019 when her former manager, Scooter Braun, bought Big Machine Records, Taylor’s former record label, for $300 million. In doing so, he was immediately granted the rights to Taylor’s first six albums.
How much did Taylor Swift pay to buy her masters?
On Friday, May 30, in a surprise announcement, it was confirmed that Taylor officially bought back the masters to all six of the albums she released on Big Machine Records.
According to Variety, Taylor acquired all six albums and also the associated visuals from Shamrock Capital, which was the most recent owner of her masters. The deal was said to be secured for an undisclosed nine-figure sum, but the exact amount that Taylor paid is currently being kept under wraps.
Now that she is the sole owner of her Big Machine albums, Taylor will be reissuing all six of them. However, in doing so, there will now be two fully authorized versions of each of the Big Machine albums, as she has said that the re-recorded “Taylor’s Versions” will continue to be available alongside the originals, per Variety.
What has Taylor said about buying her masters?
In a very lengthy statement to her fans following the deal, Taylor shared a handwritten note detailing her journey or acquiring her music.
“I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just 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,” Taylor began.
"All the times I was thiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through,” she continued. “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 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.”
“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” her statement read. “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. … My first tattoo just might be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.”
At the end of her statement, she also took the time to thank her fans for their support throughout the long process, and shared that she “elated and amazed” at the outcome.