Celebrity manager Scooter Braun has acquired Big Machine Label Group via his Ithaca Holdings, and the decision has made singer Taylor Swift upset. Having her previous label being bought by Braun prevents her from buying and owning the first six albums in her catalog.
via Vanity Fair
The Aftermath
When Swift aired out her concerns regarding this, she claimed that Braun has bullied her for years, and it grossed her out that he now owns the majority of the songs in her catalog.
via Taylor Hill/Film Magic
In the aftermath of Swift’s statement, several artists have taken sides. Fellow pop sensation Halsey has vocalized her support for Swift via a lengthy Twitter post. Others were quick to defend Braun, however. This included one of his talents, Justin Bieber, as well as his wife, Yael Cohen Braun. Cohen Brown criticized Swift for a “public airing of laundry.”
“You were given the opportunity to own your own masters, you passed. And girl, who are you to talk about bullying? The world has watched you collect and drop friends like wilted flowers. 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.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – JULY 21: Taylor Swift (L) and CEO of Big Machine Records Scott Borchetta plaque presentation backstage at the Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour at MetLife Stadium on July 21, 2018, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Kevin Mazur/TAS18/Getty Images for TAS
Big Machine’s CEO Scott Borchetta also came out with their own statement in response to Swift’s scathing allegations. In it, Borchetta claimed that Swift was well aware of what was happening behind the scenes and that he gave the star a chance to own all her assets relating to her career, but only if she signed to the label for 10 years.
“Taylor had every chance in the world to own not just her master recordings, but every video, photograph, everything associated to her career. She chose to leave.”
Taylor Swift’s Grievances
The “You Need to Calm Down” singer shared her frustrations in a lengthy Tumblr post that she did last Sunday. Swift even called it her ‘worst case scenario,’ but is now relieved that she is no longer in the label.
“For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.”