Fact Check: Did Taylor Swift activate Eras Tour bands to inform fans about regaining rights to her music?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Pop icon Taylor Swift announced in May 2025 that she had regained ownership of her first six albums following a public battle with investor Scooter Braun.

Braun bought the label Big Machine Records in 2019 which released Swift's first six albums. This prompted the singer to begin re-recording her early albums to regain control of her music. 

Now recently, a rumor circulated online claiming that Taylor Swift activated wristbands from her Eras Tour to signal her fans that she has regained control of her original recordings. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Taylor Swift activated 'Eras Tour' wristbands to inform fans about regaining rights to her music

Many Taylor Swift fans took to TikTok and posted videos of a special bracelet they'd taken home from Swift's 'Eras Tour', seemingly lighting up in celebration.

A TikTok video also called the allegedly glowing bracelet a "Swifty bat signal" and suggested that Swift was using the device as a mode of communication with her fans.

A TikTok user posted a video and wrote, "Me when I realize that Taylor Swift actually had the arm bands from the Eras Tour light up in people's homes the day she got her masters back."

The user added, "If that isn't one of the most unique, thoughtful connecting with your fans emotional-ish you have ever heard, I must hear what you think tops it."

Moreover, some TikTok users seemed to believe the claim as fact and thought Swift remotely activated the bracelets as a way to fill them in on the good news.

False: No credible evidence to back the claim

The claims made in the online rumors are false, as there is no evidence that Taylor Swift remotely activated the Eras Tour bracelets to celebrate the acquisition of her master recordings, Snopes reported.

Meanwhile, PixMob, the creators of the device, detailed its contribution to the Eras Tour that read, "When fans enter each venue … they are handed a PixMob LED wristband to become part of the show … the light up wristbands are controlled live with PixMob wireless DMX technology over infrared light."

According to stage lighting company Stage Electric, DMX technology is short for Digital Multiplex, which is "the standard digital communication protocol that is used to remotely control intelligent lighting fixtures."

Moreover, this is controlled from a console plugged directly into the lighting equipment. However, it is PixMob's use of infrared wireless technology that allows it to control the lighting effects of its wristbands, per Snopes. 

Interestingly, the range of infrared technology is limited, which is why it works within a restricted area during the performance and cannot be controlled at a distance as the rumor claims.

Taylor Swift reclaims her music catalog from Scooter Braun after six years

Taylor Swift officially bought back her music catalog after it was sold to Scooter Braun in 2019, which ignited a complicated, years-long feud between the two, per People.

The pop icon shared an emotional statement on her website on May 30 and wrote, "I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made... now belongs... to me."

Interestingly, this comes years after Swift and Braun's saga started, when the music manager bought Big Machine Records from Scott Borchetta, which gave him control of the 'Love Story' singer's first six albums, per the outlet.

This led to a complicated battle between Swift and her former record label, and she ended up re-recording her first six albums to regain ownership of her music catalog.