Taylor Swift’s master rights win drives a 430% streaming surge for Speak Now and boosts all six of … More
Taylor Swift shocked millions of fans and the entire music industry on Friday (May 30) with perhaps the most exciting announcement of her career. After years of public feuds and four re-recorded album releases, the singer-songwriter has finally gained ownership over the master rights for her first six full-lengths. Those rights had been sold — more than once — away from her via musician manager Scooter Braun.
Those moves led Swift to announce her Taylor’s Version album series, which saw her re-record and re-release the projects that turned her into a superstar. Following the announcement, excitement around Swift’s catalog surged, and millions of people rushed to streaming platforms, especially Spotify, to listen to her work.
Some diehard fans had previously avoided her first six albums, preferring instead to listen to the Taylor’s Version re-recordings, if available. But now that the Grammy winner financially benefits from streams and sales of her earliest releases, there’s no reason for her most ardent supporters to stay away.
Taylor Swift’s Streams Surge
Streams of Swift’s first six albums skyrocketed on Friday when she shared the great news. Spotify provided data to The Hollywood Reporter highlighting which titles experienced the greatest gains. While specific streaming figures weren’t shared, all half-dozen of her early Big Machine projects — from her self-titled debut through 2017’s Reputation — at least doubled in total streams when compared to the month before the singer’s rights announcement.
Speak Now Grows By More Than 400%
Some might have expected Reputation to be the greatest beneficiary, since fans were most eagerly awaiting its re-release as a Taylor’s Version. However, in the letter Swift shared to announce her acquisition, she detailed that she has not yet completed that re-recording—and at this point, may never do so.
Interestingly, Reputation wasn’t the top gainer. That honor went to Speak Now, which saw its streams climb by 430%. That title appeared as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in mid-2023, and immediately topped the Billboard 200.
Taylor Swift’s Self-Tiled and Reputation Come Next
The only two of Swift’s six earliest albums that haven’t yet been re-recorded and re-released — her self-titled debut and Reputation — earned the second and third-most significant bumps. Taylor Swift rose by 220%, while Reputation grew by 175%.
Fearless, Red and 1989 – The Originals
Three more early Swift efforts also grew by more than 100% in streams on Spotify following her May 30 revelation. Fearless climbed by 160%, Red jumped 150%, and 1989 surged 110%. All of these collections, along with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), have already been re-recorded and were massively successful upon their re-releases.
These streaming increases, which represent just one day of activity, will impact the Billboard charts next week, and will likely help these titles soar.
