Taylor Swift Reclaims Full Control Over Music Catalog Amid 'Reputation (Taylor’s Version)' Delay

Taylor Swift Finally Secures Her Masters After Years-Long Saga

Taylor Swift just flipped the script on one of the music industry's biggest controversies: she now owns her music masters—the original recordings of her first six albums. Her announcement on May 30, 2025, doesn’t just settle a personal score. It marks a major shift in the power struggle between artists and record labels. For Swift, this win has been a long time coming.

The drama kicked off in 2019 when Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings bought her masters as part of the purchase of Big Machine Records. Swift, who had been outspoken about artists’ rights, was quick to voice her outrage. For years, she went toe-to-toe with industry giants, writing open letters, making public appeals, and flat-out refusing to be silent. After Ithaca Holdings later sold her masters to Shamrock Capital, Swift still didn’t have the control she wanted. That is, until now. She has closed the circle—buying back her masters from Shamrock Capital and taking the reins, once and for all.

This isn’t just about owning a bunch of songs. The deal gives Swift the rights to everything from her earliest tracks to rare, unreleased vault tunes, all her original music videos, even her concert films and album artwork. It means she decides how her creations get used, streamed, reissued, or sampled—nobody else gets to call the shots.

Delay Hits 'Reputation (Taylor’s Version)'—But For a Good Reason

While fans buzz with excitement over the news, there’s one hitch: Reputation (Taylor’s Version) isn’t finished yet. Swift was clear—she’s barely started working on the re-recording, let alone getting the vault tracks ready. If you’re a Swiftie, you know the anticipation is real, especially because earlier re-recordings—like Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version)—were packed with fresh takes and never-before-heard cuts.

The strategy behind re-recording her albums always had two goals: to regain control, and to make sure her fans got the Taylor Swift versions, not corporate-owned retreads. Now, Swift says she’ll only drop the rest of the Reputation-era vault songs "when the time is right." That’s probably not what fans wanted to hear, but you can hardly blame her, considering the victory she’s just clinched.

She stressed that this new chapter allows her to work on her timeline. If she wants to wait, it’s her call. For the first time, Swift’s business decisions—and the fate of her own music—are truly in her own hands. And yes, she’s clearly savoring it.

This latest move doesn’t impact her more recent albums, like Lover, Folklore, and Midnights. Thanks to her deal with Republic Records, those newer recordings were hers from day one, a lesson learned the hard way.

Swift’s win over her early masters is bigger than her career. It sets an example, sends a message, and just might encourage other big names (or up-and-coming acts) to fight for their rights too. For now, Swift sits comfortably as the boss of her legacy while fans everywhere keep guessing when the next “Taylor’s Version” will finally drop.