artist rights

Taylor Swift speaks out against Scooter Braun and demands rights to her music. (Credit: Creative Commons) After news broke that Scooter Braun sold her master records, Taylor Swift took to Twitter to express her dismay — and pledge that her controlling manager wouldn’t have the last word on her early hits. Braun sold the master rights to Swift’s first six albums for roughly $300 million, according to a report Monday in Variety. The payday came just a year and a half after Braun’s LLC, Ithaca Holdings, had purchased the records. Swift confirmed the deal on Twitter and identified the buyer as private equity company Shamrock Holdings. “This was the second time my music has been sold without my knowledge,” Swift wrote Monday on Twitter. “These master recordings were not on sale for me.” Swift confirms deal on Twitter Monday and publishes letter to Shamrock Holdings. (Credit: @taylorswift13) Despite her obvious agitation, Swift expressed some relief that the records have left Braun’s possession. The purchase gave her “a great deal of hope for musical legacy,” she told the equity firm in a letter she published to Twitter. She said she was considering a possible partnership with Shamrock Holdings until it came to her attention that Braun would continue to profit off of her music. “I simply cannot in good conscience bring myself to be involved in benefiting Scooter Braun’s interests directly or indirectly,” she wrote. Last year, Braun acquired Big Machine Label Group — the record label that kicked off Swift’s career and greatest hits — which meant he gained ownership of her albums. The contract under Braun stopped Swift from using any of her older music — including Billboard hits “Blank Space” and “Love Story” — for performances, projects or recorded events, according to Swift’s post last year. Braun’s contract also halted Swift from re-recording any older music for another year. She had been negotiating a deal with Braun to purchase her own records, she mentioned in Monday’s Twitter post, but he wouldn't let her team do so unless she signed a non-disclosure agreement. In the same Twitter post, the pop star told her fans that an “exciting and creatively fulfilling” project of re-recording is underway. Swift informed Shamrock Holdings of her intention to re-record tracks. “I know this will diminish the value of my old masters, but I hope you will understand that this is my only way of regaining the sense of pride I once had hearing songs from my first six albums,” she said, adding that this would allow “my fans to listen to those albums without feelings of guilt for benefiting Scooter.”

artist rights

Taylor Swift Pledges to Reclaim Her Masters From Manager Scooter Braun

The Story Exchange

artist rights

Taylor Swift Pledges to Reclaim Her Masters From Manager Scooter Braun

The Story Exchange

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