In June 2019, music executive Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine Label Group, which owned the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s first six studio albums. The sale, valued at approximately $300 million, happened without her consent, igniting a highly publicized dispute over artist rights and music ownership. The singer openly condemned the deal, revealing she had tried for years to purchase her masters. When the label was resold in 2020 to an investment firm, the distance between her and her early catalog grew. This led her to launch an unprecedented project of re-recording her first six albums, known as the “Taylor’s Version” series, allowing her to regain control over her work.

In May 2025, Swift officially bought back the ownership of her original masters, ending the years-long battle that had reshaped conversations about artists’ rights worldwide. The victory made her one of the few artists in the industry to own both her masters and publishing rights, redefining power dynamics in the music business.