Taylor Swift via Instagram and her website (May 30, 2025).
Hi.
I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,” she wrote. “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. All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiiis 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.
To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty casual about it,” she added. “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. 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.
All I ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnerships, full autonomy. I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me. The way they’ve handed every interaction we’ve had has been 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. I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.
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 keep hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it. All that defiance, the longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it’s the one album in those first 6 that I thought I could be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or the photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch. I’ve already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love it how it sounds now. Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. 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.
I’m extremely heartened by the conversation this saga has reignited within the industry among artists and fans. Every time a new artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen. Thank you for being curious about something that used to be thought of as too industry-centric for board discussion. You’ll never know how much it means to me that you cared. Every single bit of it counted, and ends up here.
Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine... finally actually are.
Elated and amazed,
Taylor
