Taylor Swift has hit out at Scooter Braun – after he bought her old record label.
The singer has written an open letter, lashing out at the music manager, who looks after Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.
Big Machine Label Group, her former label and the owner of her master recordings from her 2006 self-titled debut through 2017’s Reputation, was sold to Ithaca Holdings as part of a $300 million deal, owned by Scooter.
On her Tumblr page Taylor accused Scooter of “bullying” her and playing a big role in that infamous recording Kim Kardashian leaked – where husband Kanye West told Taylor Swift he was mentioning her in his new track.
“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,” she wrote.
“I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past.
“Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.
“Some fun facts about today’s news: 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,” she continued.
“Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it.
“Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked. Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.
“This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value’, he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.
“When I left my masters in Scott’s hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter. Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did.
“Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever,” she claimed.
“Thankfully, I am now signed to a label that believes I should own anything I create. Thankfully, I left my past in Scott’s 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…I will always be proud of my past work. But for a healthier option, Lover will be out August 23.
“Sad and grossed out, ???? Taylor.”
Meanwhile Scooter shared a very positive post on his Instagram announcing the news that he had taken over the label.
“Genuinely grateful for my new partner @scott.borchetta and the entire @bigmachinelabelgroup team.
“We together at Ithaca are going to do amazing things and our hope is to give every artist the tools they need to succeed in all arenas. Thank you again for the trust Scott. Let’s get it.”
