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Back in 2019, music mogul Scooter Braun purchased the rights to the original recordings of Taylor Swift’s first six albums.
This proved to be a blessing in disguise for Swifties, who were subsequently treated to the “Taylor’s Version” albums, recorded as part of Swift’s efforts to regain control over her own intellectual property.
But Braun still earned a spot on every Swiftie’s enemy list (second only, perhaps, to Taylor’s biggest hater, Donald Trump).
Braun subsequently sold the recordings to Shamrock Capital for an undisclosed profit. But according to a new report from Page Six, the company is now looking to sell.
And in an unexpected twist to this six-year saga, Scooter is reportedly encouraging Taylor to buy back her own music.
Scooter Braun reportedly wants Taylor Swift to buy her music back
“Interestingly enough, one of the individuals who is encouraging this deal to take place is Scooter, who was at the center of the deal the first time around alongside Big Machine,” one source said, referring to Taylor’s first label.
The news comes just days after the Taylor’s Version edition of Swift’s 2017 single “Look What You Made Me Do” made its debut on the Apple TV+ series The Handmaid’s Tale.
“The team at Shamrock want to make sure that Taylor has knowledge that they are trying to put this deal to her, as they are not sure that she was ever offered them the first time around,” says the insider.
Of course, we’re talking about the first six albums from the world’s most popular singer-songwriter, so it’s not surprising that the rights won’t come cheap.
In fact, Page Six estimates that the asking price will be “in the ballpark of $600 million to $1 billion.” That’s a sizable chunk of change, even for the world’s biggest pop star.
Should Taylor shell out the bulk of her fortune to buy back her catalog?
Despite the outrageous expense, music industry consultant Clayton Durant says it might be a smart investment for Taylor.
“If she could claw back and create a deal structure where she could get the rights to her original recordings, she exponentially increases the amount of money she makes,” Durant recently told Page Six.
“She’s making money off the publishing still from the [original] songs,” he said, noting that “when she puts out a re-recording version, consumption also spikes on the original.”
At the time of the original sale, Taylor claimed that she was never offered the chance to buy the recordings.
“Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy,” she wrote on Tumblr after news of the sale went public.
“Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it,” she alleged.
But that narrative has been challenged by reports that Taylor’s father, Scott Swift, was on the board at Big Machine, and would have known about the sale in advance.
“Her father, who was a shareholder [in Big Machine], made $16 million,” one insider told Page Six at the time.
So should Taylor pull the trigger on this deal? Durant says it might come down to how badly she wants revenge on Scooter.
“She’s so rich. She’s already a billionaire. How much further does she want to go? Maybe it’s a principle thing for her,” he said.
Hopefully, if she does make the purchase, Taylor will record another version of “Look What You Made Me Do” — one directed squarely at Scooter Braun.
Taylor Swift Might Finally Buy Back Her Original Recordings (And Rival Scooter Braun … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.