Taylor Swift officially owns her life’s work. And she’s celebrating with music, memories, and Meredith the cat.
On Friday, Swift confirmed she had bought back her master recordings from Shamrock Capital for a reported $360 million. The moment was emotional. So naturally, she and her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff marked the occasion the way they know best—singing.
From Ownership Battles to Ownership Bliss
It was casual, candid, and completely Swift-coded. A short video posted by Antonoff showed the pair dancing in a kitchen while belting out “Getaway Car,” a track from Swift’s 2017 album Reputation. In her arms? Meredith, her famously shy cat, finally making a rare appearance.
Antonoff captioned the post, “Rep forever guilt free listening!”
It was a loaded line.
The celebration comes after years of public dispute with former music manager Scooter Braun, who acquired Swift’s first six albums back in 2019. She was blindsided then. But now, the tables have turned.
“All of the music I’ve ever made … now belongs… to me,” Swift wrote in an emotional note posted on her website. It read like a diary entry scribbled at 2 a.m.—raw, unfiltered, and personal.
A Price Tag as Big as the Victory
It wasn’t cheap. Industry sources told Billboard the final purchase price was around $360 million. Shamrock Capital, a private equity firm, had acquired the catalog from Braun in 2020 for a similar sum.
For Swift, now a billionaire, the investment wasn’t about money.
It was about principle.
She detailed how close she’d come to reclaiming her work before only to see negotiations fall apart. “All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiis close,” she wrote, stretching out the word for impact, like a friend telling a story over wine.
This wasn’t just a deal—it was a dream fulfilled.
Fans React: “I AM SOBBING SO HARD RN”
Social media exploded within minutes of the Antonoff post.
The vibe? Unfiltered joy.
One user wrote, “This has such a different meaning now.” Another, all caps, all feelings: “I AM SOBBING SO HARD RN.”
The jam session had clearly struck a chord. And with Swifties, those chords go deep.
There was even a third comment that nailed the energy: “So happy you’re both celebrating the best ! 💰🔑🚗 Such a gem!”
For a fanbase that’s followed every Easter egg, clue, and cardigan drop, the video wasn’t just cute—it was symbolic.
What’s Next for “Taylor’s Versions”?
Here’s where things get interesting.
Swift addressed the elephant in the studio: Reputation (Taylor’s Version). For months, fans have speculated it would be the next re-recorded release. But Swift shut that down—kind of.
“To be perfectly honest,” she wrote, “it’s the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn’t be improved upon by redoing it […] so I kept putting it off.”
Turns out she hasn’t even re-recorded a quarter of it yet.
However, there is movement elsewhere. Swift confirmed that her self-titled debut, Taylor Swift, has been re-recorded—and she’s thrilled with how it sounds. That’s the one that kicked off her career in 2006. Whether it sees daylight anytime soon? Still a mystery.
From Scooter Braun to Shamrock to Swift
Let’s rewind for a second.
Here’s how the masters changed hands over the years:
| Year | Owner | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Scooter Braun | Acquired Big Machine Records, gaining rights to Swift’s first 6 albums. |
| 2020 | Shamrock Capital | Bought the catalog from Braun for estimated $300M. |
| 2025 | Taylor Swift | Bought her masters back for approx. $360M. |
The feud with Braun became public almost instantly. Swift accused him of bullying and described the deal as one that “stripped me of my life’s work.”
She responded not just with statements, but with action—beginning her re-recording project in 2021 with Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Then came Red, Speak Now, and 1989.
Each re-record shattered records and fueled her already-meteoric rise. But Reputation—the darkest, most defiant album of them all—remained untouched. Until now.
Jack Antonoff: More Than Just a Collaborator
Antonoff’s role in all of this goes deeper than that one video.
He’s been a consistent creative force behind Swift’s evolution—from 1989 to Midnights. The two share a studio shorthand that’s rare in the industry. It’s part friendship, part musical telepathy.
In the clip, you can see that bond play out. They’re not just coworkers celebrating a financial win. They’re friends sharing a moment that’s been years in the making.
And yes, it involved yelling lyrics in a kitchen.
