Taylor Swift now owns the rights to her entire music catalog

No matter how much time has passed. Barbara Kulvick still beams with pride as she talks about the hundreds of students she taught over her career. So first grade she wanted to be *** stockbroker, and second grade, what do you want to be when you grow up? Singer. Take *** look at who she's pointing to. Yeah, that's Taylor Swift. Always was writing poetry. Always, even in music class when she shouldn't. The retired music teacher living now in Little Egg Harbor had the global pop star in class from 1st through 4th grade at the Wincroft School in Pottstown. I did give her her very first singing. Solo fast talk Freddie, I believe it was called. For *** while the two stayed in touch. I feel like maybe I gave her *** little spark to or encouragement to do what she was doing. In Douglasville, Pennsylvania, Heather Brown is reminiscing with her 21-year-old son Ethan. So here she is back here. Swift was *** part of Brown's very first class. She taught 3rd grade at the same private school as Colvec. It probably doesn't get the messages anymore, but I still send her. every year. I still write her notes and congratulate her. The shirt Ethan is wearing, he wore to see the Eros tour. Yes, that's *** picture of him at 4 years old alongside Swift as *** teenager. It was taken in the Reading Phillies dugout before we threw out the first pitch. Right before Swift sang the national anthem in 2007. As time ticks on, oh, I try and follow her all the time. These teachers want their former student to know they are cheering her on back here at home. Everything she touches turns to gold, and I'm just so excited to see what comes next.

Updated: 11:41 AM CDT May 30, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Taylor Swift now owns the rights to her entire music catalog

Updated: 11:41 AM CDT May 30, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Taylor Swift is now the proud owner of her entire catalogue of music, roughly six years after she protested the sale of her master recordings by her former record label.File video above: Taylor Swift's elementary school teachers "beyond proud" of her successSwift announced the news in a letter posted to her website Friday, writing that “all of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”The Grammy-winner specified that she owns all her music videos, concert films, album art and photography, along with unreleased songs. She purchased her music “outright with no strings attached, no partnership, full autonomy,” from Shamrock Capital, a private equity company that had acquired her master recordings.“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” Swift wrote, adding that she was able to “buy back” her music from Shamrock following the success of the Eras Tour. Swift went on to credit her supporters for making her record-breaking tour so much of a success, writing, “I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.”Swift also thanked Shamrock Capital “for being the first people” to offer her the opportunity to buy back her music, describing her business dealings with the company “honest, fair, and respectful.”“This was a business deal to them but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: My memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams,” she wrote.The sale of the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums to producer Scooter Braun and Shamrock Capital in 2019 sparked the singer to take back ownership of her music in her own way by pledging to re-record those six albums after negotiations to buy her music back from Braun at the time failed.CNN has reached out to Brawn and Shamrock Capital for comment.Taylor’s VersionSwift went on to release what she called “Taylor’s Version” albums for “Red,” “Speak Now,” “Fearless” and “1989.” With each “Taylor’s Version” album, she’s included a number of previously unreleased songs coined “from the vault.”Until now, many so-called Swifties had expected her to at some point release 2018’s “Reputation” album and her 2006 self-titled debut album “Taylor Swift.” Swift provided an update on the status of those two re-records in her announcement Friday, writing that she hasn’t yet finished re-recording the entire “Reputation” album but that the re-recording of her debut album is complete.Swift wrote in her letter that maybe one day “those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right,” only if that’s something her supporters “would be excited about.”“But if it happens,” she added, “it won’t be from a place of sadness or longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”Her four re-recorded albums have been hugely successful, some even more so than when the original albums were first released. Following the 2023 release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” the original album of which she released in 2014, the album became her 13th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart, according to the music charting site.

Taylor Swift is now the proud owner of her entire catalogue of music, roughly six years after she protested the sale of her master recordings by her former record label.

File video above: Taylor Swift's elementary school teachers "beyond proud" of her success

Swift announced the news in a posted to her website Friday, writing that “all of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”

The Grammy-winner specified that she owns all her music videos, concert films, album art and photography, along with unreleased songs. She purchased her music “outright with no strings attached, no partnership, full autonomy,” from Shamrock Capital, a private equity company that had acquired her master recordings.

“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” Swift wrote, adding that she was able to “buy back” her music from Shamrock following the success of the Eras Tour. Swift went on to credit her supporters for making her record-breaking tour so much of a success, writing, “I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.”

Swift also thanked Shamrock Capital “for being the first people” to offer her the opportunity to buy back her music, describing her business dealings with the company “honest, fair, and respectful.”

“This was a business deal to them but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: My memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams,” she wrote.

The sale of the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums to producer Scooter Braun and Shamrock Capital in 2019 sparked the singer to take back ownership of her music in her own way by pledging to re-record those six albums after negotiations to buy her music back from Braun at the time failed.

CNN has reached out to Brawn and Shamrock Capital for comment.

Taylor’s Version

Swift went on to release what she called “Taylor’s Version” albums for “Red,” “Speak Now,” “Fearless” and “1989.” With each “Taylor’s Version” album, she’s included a number of previously unreleased songs coined “from the vault.”

Until now, many so-called Swifties had expected her to at some point release 2018’s “Reputation” album and her 2006 self-titled debut album “Taylor Swift.” Swift provided an update on the status of those two re-records in her announcement Friday, writing that she hasn’t yet finished re-recording the entire “Reputation” album but that the re-recording of her debut album is complete.

Swift wrote in her letter that maybe one day “those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right,” only if that’s something her supporters “would be excited about.”

“But if it happens,” she added, “it won’t be from a place of sadness or longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”

Her four re-recorded albums have been hugely successful, some even more so than when the original albums were first released. Following the 2023 release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” the original album of which she released in 2014, the album became her 13th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart, according to the music charting site.

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