Just when it seemed like Taylor Swift had finally closed the book on one of the biggest fights of her career, a brand new music industry deal has fans asking a very familiar question: could another chapter in the messy music master saga unfolds?!
Before anyone panics, this is not a repetition of Scooter Braun controversy. Instead, the latest conversation is centered on manufacturers Max Martin and Shellbackwhose songwriting collective Wolf cousins has entered into a strategic collaboration with an investment company HarbourView Equity Partners. Basically, the duo sold their catalog, reportedly got BIG TIME for it, and now Taylor’s team has to figure out what that means for her numbers.
But while the transaction reportedly includes rights associated with some major hit songs — Swift’s and many others — legal experts say the situation is actually much more nuanced than meets the eye! Buckle up, everyone…
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According to entertainment lawyer Bradfield Biggerswho spoke with Page six on the issue on Thursday, the deal doesn’t mean HarbourView suddenly owns Taylor’s master recordings across the board. However, he noted that there could be important implications for certain songs, depending on exactly what rights were acquired. As Biggers explained:
“HarbourView would not control Swift’s masters in general, but for certain songs in the catalog it could have approval rights or meaningful influence that affects how Swift can use those recordings in certain contexts.”
Hoof…
This is an important distinction. Although Swift’s ownership and control of her audio recordings reportedly remains intact, there may still be situations involving specific songs where additional approvals are required.
Biggers further explained:
“But depending on exactly what HarbourView bought and how the relevant publishing and management agreements are structured, it could give HarbourView leverage over certain uses of songs written with Max Martin, Shellback or other Wolf Cousins writers.”
He continued:
“This matters when a particular use requires approval of both the master recording and the underlying composition, such as a film or television placement, an ad campaign, certain social media uses, or other synchronization opportunities.”
Among the Taylor songs allegedly linked to the Wolf Cousins deal are Style from 1989 and … Ready for it? from Reputationthough to be clear, reports indicate that not EVERY Swift song associated with Wolf Cousins is part of the acquisition.
Still, Biggers stressed that this doesn’t suddenly make HarbourView part of Taylor’s inner circle, saying:
“I wouldn’t call HarbourView a partner in the Swift camp. But by acquiring interests in songs closely tied to Swift’s catalog and cultural legacy, HarbourView is now financially connected to an important part of her ecosystem.”
In other words, as Taylor’s career continues to grow, the value of those songwriting interests may grow along with it.
Biggers added:
“As Swift continues to grow her brand and cement her place as a legendary pop artist, HarbourView will benefit from the enduring value of these songs and Swift’s evolution from a generational star to an enduring figure in the pop music canon.”
The announced acquisition, which Black first reported earlier this week was valued in the low nine figures, was not publicly priced by HarbourView as the company declined to disclose financial terms.
However HarbourView CEO Sherrese Clarke praised the partnership in a statement, saying:
“At HarbourView, we invest in culturally relevant intellectual property and the visionary creators behind it. Max Martin and Shellback continue to hold their place as hitmakers in modern music, and through Wolf Cousins they have built an extraordinary creative ecosystem that spans generations and genres. We are proud to partner with them and help steward the legacy of this remarkable catalog.”
The duo’s wider catalog includes hits recorded by Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Tove Lo, DNCEand many, many more – highlighting how incredibly valuable the songwriting collective has become over the years!
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For Swift fans, though, it’s impossible to hear about another rights-related headline without it remembers the long and emotional battle over her original masters.
After Big Machine Records was sold to Scooter Braun in 2019Swift publicly criticized the deal, saying she was not gets a fair chance to buy her recordings themselves. Braun later sold these masters to Shamrock Capitalwhich made Swift launch her wildly successful Taylor’s version remake project. It would later be revealed that Braun wanted to sell his masters back to her, but the two could not agree on the deal.
Then came what many fans saw as the perfect ending: Last May, Swift announced that she had officially bought back her entire master catalog.
So does this latest development undo that victory? Based on what legal experts are saying, the answer appears to be no. But it serves as yet another reminder that the business side of the music industry can be unbelievable complicated, especially when multiple copyrights, publishing interests, and licensing rights are involved.
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(Image via MEGA/WHEN)
