Big Machine Up For Sale

The news is apparently linked to the recent yanking of Swift’s entire catalog from Spotify, which lamented the decision in a blog post on the site. “We hope she’ll change her mind and join us in building a new music economy that works for everyone,” the post said. “We believe fans should be able to listen to music wherever and whenever they want, and that artists have an absolute right to be paid for their work and protected from piracy. That’s why we pay nearly 70 percent of our revenue back to the music community.”

Sources reportedly close to the matter told the New York Post Big Machine owner Scott Borchetta is hoping to secure more than $200 million through a sale of the label. It’s uncertain whether that number is realistic.

Swift has only one album left on her contract with Big Machine. If she decides to jump ship, the label, which is also the home of Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw, could be worth substantially less. Big Machine may have to offer Swift an advance of as much as $20 million to keep her, music executives told the Post.

Her latest release, 1989, was on track to sell more than 1.2 million units in its first week at press time.