In 2019, music mogul Scooter Braun, alongside his company Ithaca Holdings LLC, purchased Big Machine Label Group for a staggering $300 million. This acquisition included the master rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums, a move that sparked outrage among Swift and her dedicated fans. Recently, Braun sold these master rights, raising questions about the ethics of allowing wealthy individuals in the music industry to trade her creations. Swift has now voiced her concerns.
Swift’s catalog, spanning from her debut album in 2006 to 2017’s Reputation, was valued by Variety at around $140 million. This means Braun profited significantly—$140 million—simply by buying and selling her work without contributing to its creation or performance.
On November 16, 2020, Swift took to Twitter to express her feelings regarding Braun’s dealings and her efforts to regain her music. “For the past year, I’ve been trying to reclaim ownership of my master recordings,” she stated. “My team attempted negotiations with Scooter Braun, but his team insisted I sign a stringent NDA, which would prevent me from discussing him unless positively before I could even see the financial records of BMLG.”
Swift emphasized that this demand would silence her before she had the chance to bid on her own creations—an appalling situation. Her music is her art, yet Braun attempted to limit her rights by selling her work without her consent.
“My legal team confirmed that this is highly unusual, and they’ve only seen such NDAs used to silence assault victims,” she noted. “He refused to provide a quote for my team.” Swift revealed that she discovered Braun had sold her masters only after being contacted by Shamrock Holdings, the private equity firm that purchased her music, videos, and album art.
“This was the second time my music was sold without my knowledge,” she explained. “The letter indicated they had wanted to contact me prior to the sale, but Braun had mandated they refrain from contacting me or my team, or the deal would be canceled.”
Fortunately, Swift’s last two albums, Lover and folklore, were released through Universal Music Group, and she has begun re-recording her earlier masters, a process she finds “exciting” and “creatively fulfilling.”
Swift concluded her message with her signature grace: “I love you all and I’m just going to keep moving forward, as they say.”
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Summary:
Scooter Braun’s acquisition and subsequent sale of Taylor Swift’s master recordings have raised significant ethical concerns regarding ownership in the music industry. Swift’s attempts to regain her music were thwarted by restrictive NDAs and lack of communication, leading to her public outcry. Despite these challenges, she is taking steps to re-record her earlier work, demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity.