Are Taylor Swift’s masters protected in the event of a divorce?
Taylor Swift’s first six albums were sold first in 2019 and then again in 2020 to Shamrock Capital. On May 30, 2025, Taylor Swift announced that she had bought back her masters after fighting for them for six years. With that purchase, Ms. Swift not only gained a significant amount of autonomy over those masters, but also gained a significant asset and stream of revenue.
2025 was a big year for Ms. Swift in other ways as well. On August 26, 2025, Ms. Swift announced that she was engaged to Travis Kelce, an NFL player playing on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Given Ms. Swift’s huge acquisition and her recent engagement, there are some special considerations to make prior to the wedding. While we all hope divorce is not on the horizon for the future Mr. and Ms. Swift, many people are speculating about how their respective teams will handle the inevitable prenuptial agreement that is forthcoming.
Now, while Taylor Swift does not live in Maryland, pursuant to Maryland law every dollar you earn or asset you acquire from date of marriage to date of divorce is marital property with a few exceptions.
Those exceptions are 1) property you or your spouse acquired before your marriage, 2) gifts or inheritances made to only you or only your spouse, 3) property directly traceable to non-marital property (such as items purchased with money from an inheritance) and 4) there is a valid pre- or post-nuptial agreement excluding certain property.
Now, Ms. Swift’s masters are pre-marital property as they were acquired before the marriage. However, the income which streams from those masters (and assets acquired with that income) could be a completely different story depending on how it is handled.
What many people don’t realize is that non-marital property can be turned into marital property or become partially marital property. For example, if Ms. Swift has a pre-marital bank account and commingles that account, without a valid agreement, that account could become marital property. Additionally, if Ms. Swift starts paying the mortgage on Mr. Swift’s Kansas City home which he owned prior to the marriage, that house could become (at least partially) marital property.
You may not have masters to protect like Ms. Swift, but if you are getting married and have assets (big or small), you should consult with an attorney prior to the big day.
Please note that the topics in this blog are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice, but if you have any questions about marital property, the attorneys at Weinberg & Schwartz would be happy to help!
