Taylor Swift made ownership cool — and it’s changing the industry

The Taylor Swift masters saga has done something remarkable: it's got teenagers debating the value of music rights ownership. In the main, I think fans thinking about the economic value of art is a bad thing for both art AND commerce, but artists…well, that’s a different thing entirely.

Many artists sign away their life's work before they’ve had enough experience under their belts to recognize and resist the fast talker who throws around seemingly big numbers and often unfulfillable promises about where the next income stream may come after the buy-out check.

These artists are often surrounded by advisors who have a vested interest in convincing them to take the biggest check as fast as possible so that a lawyer, manager etc etc can get their commission and move on. Not every advisor is a shark, but the conflicts of interest are often real, and the number of advisors whose interests are, at best, a “fuzzy match” with their clients are very common.

One of these execs tells them "this is how the business works." So they sign, take the check and, at least half the time, are worse off than if they’d held out, taken an advance and continued to build their career. Not just for more economic value, but more creative value too. Owning your masters puts an artist in a better position on funding the next new music, the next tour etc etc.

In 2019 Swift's catalog was sold without her consent. When she started re-recording her masters, she didn’t do it out of spite (though if she had, good for her). She did it to build leverage.

Swift says she's "extremely heartened" that her fight has led to new artists negotiating to own their masters from day one. That's the real victory here. For years, master ownership was an industry insider topic that many didn’t understand or care about. Swift dragged it into the spotlight.

Now, artists can walk into meetings saying "I want to own my masters". That's not just one superstar getting justice - that's a tiny step towards systemic change. This stuff should be basic knowledge from day one.--Legendary music lawyer Don Passman said, “Historically, almost everybody who sold their catalog has regretted it"

Taylor Swift's story isn't just inspiring, it's a masterclass in why betting on yourself usually beats cashing out early. She had options because she created them. She had leverage because she built it.

At beatBread, we'll buy your catalog if that's genuinely the right move for you. But we’ll always show you why holding onto your rights and getting the cash you need through other structures can make more sense economically, and creatively. We’re a for-profit business, but profit was not the main reason for starting our funding platform. beatBread is a mission-driven...created to empower artists and the independent labels who ethically and flexibly serve them. We give a damn about your long-term success, not merely the return on the “asset” that many other funders receive when they buy an artist’s rights.