Taylor Swift may encounter limitations in her ability to use certain recordings of her songs, following the sale of production catalogs by Max Martin and Shellback to investment firm HarbourView Equity Partners. Martin and Shellback, who have collaborated with Swift on numerous tracks, sold their interests through their songwriting collective, Wolf Cousins.
According to entertainment attorney Bradfield Biggers, the deal does not appear to impact Swift's ownership of her sound recordings. However, depending on the specifics of the acquisition and existing publishing agreements, HarbourView could gain approval rights or significant leverage over how Swift utilizes songs co-written with Martin, Shellback, or other Wolf Cousins writers. This influence could be particularly relevant for synchronization uses, such as film or television placements, advertising campaigns, and certain social media applications, which require clearance of both the master recording and the underlying composition.
Two of Swift's songs reportedly included in the transaction are "Style" from her 2014 album "1989" and "...Ready for It?" from her 2017 album "Reputation." The acquisition does not encompass every song Swift has recorded with Wolf Cousins.
Biggers noted that while HarbourView is not a direct partner of Swift's team, their acquisition connects them economically to a significant portion of her creative output. The value of these Swift songs within HarbourView's portfolio is expected to grow as Swift's cultural influence continues to expand.
HarbourView CEO Sherrese Clarke stated that the firm invests in culturally relevant intellectual property and the creators behind it, expressing pride in partnering with Martin and Shellback to manage the legacy of their catalog. The acquisition price was reportedly in the low nine figures, though terms were not officially disclosed.
Max Martin and Shellback, whose real names are Karl Martin Sandberg and Karl Johan Schuster, respectively, founded Wolf Cousins in the 2010s. The collective includes other notable songwriters such as Ilya Salmanzadeh, Oscar Holter, Tove Lo, and Ludvig Söderberg.
The sale also reportedly includes tracks by other artists, such as Ariana Grande's "Problem," "Into You," and "No Tears Left To Cry"; The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face"; Imagine Dragons' "Believer"; Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do"; Tove Lo's "Habits (Stay High)"; and DNCE's "Cake By The Ocean."
This situation draws parallels to Swift's previous highly publicized disputes over her music masters. Her first six albums were originally under Big Machine Records, which was acquired by Scooter Braun in 2019. Swift publicly opposed the sale, asserting she was not given a fair chance to acquire her masters. In 2020, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock Capital, prompting Swift to re-record several of her albums as "Taylor's Version" to regain control. In May 2025, Swift announced she had successfully repurchased all of her masters.