Fact Check: Did Taylor Swift’s Dad Really Buy 40,000 Copies of Her Debut to Jump-Start Her Career?

Taylor Swift posted a sweet little throwback about the earliest days of her career, and somehow we ended up back in the trenches of an old rumor about her dad. Let me walk you through what actually happened, what people are saying, and what we do and don’t know.

What sparked all this (again)

Swift hopped on Instagram to celebrate a massive new sales milestone and mentioned how, back in 2006, her first record sold 40,000 copies in its first week. That number set off a familiar wave online: the rumor that her father, Scott Swift, secretly bought those 40,000 copies of her debut single, 'Tim McGraw,' to juice the numbers.

Short version: that claim has floated around for years, and no credible source has ever confirmed it. Fans who back Taylor say it’s a lazy, class-based dig meant to paint her as entirely propped up by family money. But the conversation caught fire again after her post, because of course it did.

The family-business backdrop people always bring up

Swift’s family did play an early role in her career moves. She turned down RCA as a teen and instead signed with the then-tiny Big Machine Records. Around that time, Scott Swift reportedly became an investor in Big Machine. Various reports have put his stake at roughly 3%, with some later citing 5% around the time founder Scott Borchetta sold the label to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2019. Those same reports say Scott Swift personally made about $15.1 million from that deal. He’s been a polarizing figure among fans ever since, partly because of stories like these and other older controversies that never quite leave the discourse.

Those old emails that resurfaced

Another wrinkle that fans point to: 18-year-old emails from Scott Swift that came out in court filings tied to a lawsuit from Taylor’s former early-career manager, Daniel Dymtrow. Dymtrow claimed he worked with the family for about two years lining up industry connections, only to be paid $10,000. The emails, which outlets like The Mirror said were attached to the filings, show Scott venting about not getting enough credit, feeling sidelined on trips, and basically promising to push Taylor’s career forward by any means he thought appropriate. He even took a jab at Taylor’s mom, Andrea, in the process.

'Who gets to go to New York, New England and every cool appearance? Not dad. Can’t fix hair. Dad talks too much. Who pays for trips to New York? Dad. I am going to do anything that I think is appropriate to do to advance Taylor’s career. Finally, if you want to get rid of me, please forward this to Andrea.'

In those same emails, he allegedly told Dymtrow that no one was going to help Taylor become more successful than him, while also calling himself her biggest fan. It’s a messy snapshot of family-business stress from nearly two decades ago, and it still fuels skepticism about his involvement today.

The milestone Taylor was actually celebrating

All of this bubbled up because Swift was celebrating a historic week for her latest album, 'The Life of a Showgirl.' According to Luminate data reported by Billboard, the album moved 4.002 million equivalent album units in its first week. Per those reports, that makes her the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums. Variety also reported it took just five days to top Adele’s one-week record of 3.482 million for '25' (set in December 2015).

'I’ll never forget how excited I was in 2006 when my first album sold 40,000 copies in its first week. I was 16 and couldn’t even fathom that that many people would care enough about my music to invest their time and energy into it.'

'I have 4 million thank you’s I want to send to the fans, and 4 million reasons to feel even more proud of this album than I already was. Thank you for going out to celebrate this project in the movie theaters, investing in vinyl, streaming, watching the video, buying CDs, reading the poems I wrote inside the packaging, and immersing yourselves in The Life of a Showgirl.'

So... did her dad buy those 40,000 copies?

• The rumor exists, and it just got resurfaced again by social posts reacting to her 40,000 figure.
• There’s still no credible confirmation that Scott Swift bought 40,000 copies of 'Tim McGraw' or any other early release.
• He did reportedly invest in Big Machine and later profited when it was sold to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings (figures commonly cited: a 3% stake later referenced as 5%, with a reported $15.1 million payout).
• Those 18-year-old emails from a lawsuit filed by former manager Daniel Dymtrow show Scott sounding heated and territorial about his role, which hasn’t helped his image among skeptical fans.
• None of that is proof of the 40,000-copies story. It explains why the rumor has legs, not that it’s true.

My take

Swift’s nostalgic post was supposed to be a victory lap for a record-breaking week, and it turned into another round of detective work over her dad. The business ties and those old emails are real conversation-starters, sure, but the specific claim that he bulk-bought her debut single remains unverified after all these years. If someone had hard evidence, we’d have seen it by now. Until then, it’s another internet campfire tale that refuses to die, flaring up anytime the numbers get big and the spotlight gets brighter.