(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BAD BLOOD (TAYLOR'S VERSION)")
TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) 'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood. You know, it used to be bad love. So take a look at what you've done 'cause, baby, now we've got bad blood. Hey.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
After years of bad blood over the ownership of her early albums, Taylor Swift's master recordings finally belong to her.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU BELONG WITH ME")
SWIFT: (Singing) If you could see that I'm the one who understands you, been here all along, so why can't you see you belong with me? You belong with me.
SIMON: Until now, of course, corporate interests have controlled the rights to her original recordings. She made the announcement on her website Friday, calling it more than a dream come true.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WILDEST DREAMS")
SWIFT: (Singing) Even if it's just in your wildest dreams, ah. Wildest dreams, ah.
SIMON: Gaining control over her early music comes after Taylor Swift has already re-recorded four of the six albums, which she calls Taylor's Versions. NPR Music's Stephen Thompson joins us now. Stephen, thanks so much for being with us.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Thank you, Scott.
SIMON: Been a long time coming for Taylor Swift, hasn't it?
THOMPSON: Yeah, it is the product of years of disputes. Taylor Swift's first six albums came out on a label called Big Machine Records. In 2019, after she'd completed that contract, Big Machine was sold to a group led by her former manager, Scooter Braun. The next year, he sold the masters to a group called Shamrock Holdings. Taylor Swift was furious. She still coveted ownership of her masters and felt like she'd been kind of denied the chance to bid on her own work. And so she set about recording new versions of those albums herself, basically to create a new set of master recordings that she would control. But she has openly wished for years that she could acquire those rights and to essentially own her entire career output outright.
SIMON: How much did this cost Taylor Swift to get back her own masters?
THOMPSON: Billboard magazine is reporting that she paid roughly $360 million, and that that's not far off from what Shamrock Holdings paid.
SIMON: What does it mean for an artist to own their own master recordings?
THOMPSON: Well, Taylor Swift has always retained publishing rights to her songs. She writes her own material. That's part of what allowed her to re-record the albums herself. But owning the masters means that she has complete control of how her music is used, like the actual recordings themselves. She can authorize their use on soundtracks and commercials however she wants, and it goes without saying that the catalog for an artist like Taylor Swift is worth an absolute fortune. It's no longer a tradable asset to anyone but Taylor Swift herself. And I think it's safe to say that her catalog is no longer for sale.
SIMON: And how unusual is this for an artist?
THOMPSON: There's definitely precedent for it. You know, artists have gone back and reacquired their rights - Jay-Z, Rihanna. You know, a few others have gone back and gone through the process of purchasing their own works. But she's kind of trying to set a template for other artists going forward to make sure that in the deals they sign, they have the opportunity to reacquire control of their own work.
SIMON: What happens now? Is she going to put out what I'll call new versions of her originals now that she owns the masters?
THOMPSON: Well, in the statement that she made on her website, she said she's still going to put out those Taylor's Versions of the other two records that haven't come out yet. Her self-titled debut from 2006, and her album "Reputation" from 2017. She said the debut record is basically done. It's ready to be released, but that "Reputation's" going to take a while because it's the one she feels the least need to retool. So the way she put it is that those new versions are still going to come out, but they'll be a celebration instead of a bittersweet reclamation. She's now the sole keeper of the Taylor Swift empire. I hope she writes a whole album about how happy she is.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STAY BEAUTIFUL")
SWIFT: (Singing) You're beautiful, every little piece, love. Don't you know, you're really going to be someone?
SIMON: NPR's Stephen Thompson. Thanks so much for being with us.
THOMPSON: Thank you, Scott.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STAY BEAUTIFUL")
SWIFT: (Singing) And when you find everything you look for, I hope your life leads you back to my door. Oh, but if it don't, stay beautiful. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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