Scooter Braun and his media holding company Ithaca Holdings LLC are selling the master rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums, Variety reports. Ithaca announced its acquisition of Big Machine Label Group back in June 2019, giving the company the rights to Swift’s albums for the label (2006’s Taylor Swift through 2017’s reputation). It has not been revealed who bought the master rights, but, according to Variety, the deal was for more than $300 million.
Swift initially responded to Braun and Ithaca’s acquisition with an open letter on Tumblr. “All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years,” she wrote. “This is my worst case scenario.”
In an interview in summer 2019, Taylor Swift said she planned to re-record her music in response to Ithaca’s acquisition of her catalog. “My contract says that starting November 2020, so next year, I can record albums one through five all over again,” she said. “It’s next year. It’s right around the corner. I’m going to be busy. I’m really excited.”
Taylor Swift signed with Universal Music Group and Republic Records in 2018. She has released two albums for Republic: Lover and folklore.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Taylor Swift, Big Machine Label Group, and Scooter Braun.
Revisit Pitchfork’s “Taylor Swift’s Music Ownership Controversy With Scooter Braun: What It Means and Why It Matters.”
