Taylor Swift called it her “worst case scenario,” learning that her music catalog has been sold to a company owned by music manager Scooter Braun.
Claiming she's been bullied by Braun for years, Swift took to Tumblr on Sunday to explain how upset she is that her songs with Big Machine Label Group ended up with Braun, who manages artists such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and the Zac Brown Band.
Swift signed for Big Machine, founded by former Universal executive Scott Borchetta, in 2005 and moved to Universal Music Group in November last year.
Writing on Tumblr, she said: “I learned about Scooter Braun's purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world.
“All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years.”
The singer-songwriter, whose new album Lover is released in August, said: “I am now signed to a label that believes I should own anything I create.
“Thankfully, I left my past in Scott's (Borchetta, founder of Big Machine) hands and not my future.
“And hopefully, young artists or kids with musical dreams will read this and learn about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation.
“You deserve to own the art you make.”
Swift has received support on social media from such artists as Halsey, Iggy Azalea, and Todrick Hall.
Hall went so far as claiming that Braun was homophobic:
For those asking, I left Scooter Braun a long time ago…I am saddened by this news, but not shocked. He is an evil person who’s only concern is his wealth and feeding his disgusting ego. I believe he is homophobic & I know from his own mouth that he is not a Swift fan.
Borchetta responded to Swift’s accusations in his own blog post, titled “So, It’s Time For Some Truth…,” later on Sunday night.
In his statement, Borchetta said that he had offered Swift an opportunity last year to gain ownership over her previous recordings in exchange for signing a new contract with Big Machine Label Group.
He posted a section of a deal proposal that he said was from the negotiations, showing Big Machine requesting Swift’s services for a period of 10 years — instead of a typical recording agreement for a number of albums — after she proposed a seven-year deal.
“Taylor had every chance in the world to own not just her master recordings, but every video, photograph, everything associated to her career,” Borchetta wrote. “She chose to leave.”
He added that he had informed Swift of the company’s sale to Ithaca on Saturday night, disputing her characterization that she “learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world.”
Bieber posted a response on Instagram on Sunday, apologizing for the “hurtful” post referenced by Swift but adding that Braun “didn’t have anything to do with it.” He also criticized Swift for airing her differences with Braun on social media, saying she did so “to get sympathy” and to get her fans to “go and bully” Braun.
However, the most scathing response to all of this came from Scooter Braun's wife Yael Cohen Braun.
“I have never been one for a public airing of laundry, but when you attack my husband…here we go,” Cohen Braun began in an Instagram post on Sunday. “Let’s start with @taylorswift, whoa. Then let’s get the facts straight. You were given the opportunity to own your masters, you passed. Interesting that the man you’re ‘grossed out' by believed in you more than you believe in yourself.”
“Your dad is a shareholder and was notified, and [Big Machine Records CEO, Scott] Borchetta personally told you before this came out. So no, you didn’t find out with the world,” she continued. “And girl, who are you to talk about bullying? The world has watched you collect and drop friends like wilted flowers. My husband is anything but a bully, he’s spent his life standing up for people and causes he believes in…”
And then she went there — bringing up Swift's feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
“Beyond that, it’s easy to see that the point of putting this out was to get people to bully him. You are supposed to be a role model, but continue to model bullying,” she added. “He’s a manager, not God. He cannot control the action of other humans, even ones he manages. Don’t blame him because Kim caught you in a lie, it’s embarrassing I know – but adults own up to their mistakes. We learn and grow from them, we don’t divert blame and blur lines of reality to suit our needs.”
“What you haven’t seen is what happens behind closed doors, when he was supported and stood up for you. When he has challenged his clients to be kind or be quiet. When he has reached an olive branch out to you on numerous occasions.”
“Scott (Scooter) was so excited to work and build with you. How embarrassing this temper tantrum is because you didn’t get your own way,” she concluded. “He believes in and supports you, I sincerely hope you can learn to love and believe in yourself the way my husband does. Lastly, if you think he can control his clients, please control your fans. Leave our personal life and kids out of this. You don’t understand yet what lines that crosses, but one day you will. And I hope you have the dignity, class and kindness to leave your fans out of this and have an open discussion. Tumblr can’t fix this, a phone call can.”
Read Taylor's full Tumblr post below.
