Taylor Swift pays tribute to fans as reason she could reclaim master recordings

Popstar Taylor Swift paid tribute to her fans as the reason she could reclaim ownership of her master recordings.

Swift, 35, said in May that she purchased the rights to all of her concert films, music videos, album art and photography, as well as unreleased songs.

It came after her Eras Tour broke records and she made history as the first solo artist to perform at London’s Wembley Stadium eight times on a single tour.

Her eventful year was topped with the release of her 12th studio album, The Life Of A Showgirl and engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce in August.

Speaking about the two major events on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in the US, Swift said: “Getting engaged to the love of my life, getting all my music back, those were two things that just never could have happened. They could have just never happened.

“It wasn’t like, oh, it’s just a matter of time, like both those things could have just never arrived in my life.

“I’m so grateful for both of those things happening and my fans are why I was able to get my music back, that’s how I spent that Eras Tour money.”

Swift reclaimed her music catalogue after announcing plans in 2019 to re-record all her songs, after a dispute with retired talent manager Scooter Braun, who acquired the recordings of her first six studio albums when he bought her former label.

Though the masters changed hands again after a deal with Shamrock Capital, Swift continued with a bid to regain ownership of the music by creating new versions of the songs.

Swift is not the only artist who got ownership of her catalogue. Singer-songwriter John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, known for Fortunate Son, Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Proud Mary, got his masters back in 2023.

He previously told Colbert that for years he felt like a “fool” and reclaiming his masters was an immediate self-esteem boost.

Swift said: “It was this strange, conflicted feeling of like, man, those are my memories.

“A recording is such a snapshot of where you are in your life.

“Congratulations to John Fogerty, congratulations to me.”

Swift also said that Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks is among the people she turns to for advice.

She said: “I have Stevie Nicks in my life in a way that like affects me positively constantly.

“Being able to talk to her and have a phone call with her, hear what she’s been through.

“She paved the way for me and any other artist who get to do this on this level so I feel very lucky that she’s lended her very magical, wonderful, wise approach to life.”

Swift also said she can turn to producer Max Martin, who worked on her 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl, and credited his ability to “reinvent” his sound “so many times”.

She said: “I think that what I look up to the most in people is career longevity and friendship longevity, longevity in their relationships.

“How do you keep a good thing going? I think there are certain corners of our society that really love that and look up to longevity.

“There are also corners that are like, give someone else a turn. Can’t you just go away so we can talk about how good you were?

“I don’t want to.”

She also gave a special mention to her fiance, Kelce, in whom she said she can confide.

Swift was named the UK’s most streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.

It comes ahead of the release of her six-part docuseries, The End Of An Era, which documents the tour and preparations for it, which will air on Friday.