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If there’s been one consistent fact about Taylor Swift’s historic career, it’s that she always comes out victorious in the end.
So Swifties the world over are overjoyed — but not surprised — by the news that Taylor has bought the master recordings of her first six albums.
We reported last week that previous owner Scooter Braun had sold the masters to Shamrock Capital, creating an opportunity for Taylor to purchase them.
And in an emotional letter to fans, Swift revealed today that she’s done exactly that:
Taylor Swift shares news about latest victory
Moments ago, Taylor posted a lengthy, heartfelt letter on her personal website.
“I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and prayed away for a chance to get to tell you this news,” she wrote, adding:
“All the times I was thisssss close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away.
“But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs to me.”
Taylor explained that she is also the proud owner of her music videos, concert films, album art and photography, and unreleased songs, meaning that she’s finally secured control of “my entire life’s work.”
Taylor thanks fans for helping her realize her ‘greatest dream’
“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty casual about it. To my fans, you know how important this has been to me — so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released four albums, calling them Taylor’s Versions,” she wrote.
“The passionate support you showed those albums and the success you found giving The Eras Tour into why I was able to buy back my music.
“I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but never owned until now. All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright.”
Swift proceeded to address what might be the only downside of these developments:
Is this the end of Taylor’s Versions?
The popular “Taylor’s Version” recordings were, of course, part of the pop icon’s attempt to regain control of her music after the masters were purchased by Scooter Braun under controversial circumstances.
(Taylor says she was never offered the opportunity to buy the masters from her first label, but insiders have disputed that account.)
Will Swift continue to re-record her albums now that she owns the rights?
“I know, I know. What about Rep TV? Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it,” she told fans today.
“All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it’s The First of That Time that I thought wouldn’t be improved upon by re-recording it. Not the music, photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off.”
Swift concluded by explaining that she might still re-record the two remaining albums on her TV to-do list, but if she does, she’ll do so under radically different circumstances:
“Those two albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, it will be something you guys would be excited about.” she wrote.
“But if it happens, it won’t be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”
So there might be more Taylor’s Versions to come. But it seems that for now, Ms. Swift is content to just enjoy her latest victory.
Taylor Swift Shares Emotional Letter With Fans, Reveals She’s Bought Back Rights to … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.