Has Scooter Braun stamped out the fire of his feud with Taylor Swift or did he just light another match?
As you probably know, the highly public beef between the two began when Braun purchased her old record company Big Machine Records in 2019 for $330 million — and with it, the masters to the former country darling’s first six albums. Taylor was VERY vocal about her anger and disappointment over the sale, not only because she was denied the chance to buy back her songs, but also specifically because they went to Scooter, whom she claimed had bullied her throughout her career.
Related: Taylor Slams Scooter Braun For ‘Shameless Greed In The Time Of Coronavirus’
Well, the good news is he no longer owns her music. According to a Variety report, Justin Bieber’s manager sold the pop star’s catalogue to an as yet unknown investment fund for more than $300 million (in other words, he made out very well, considering he still maintains the rest of BMR, whose artists include Sheryl Crow, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts, and Lady A).
Interestingly, this month marks the period in which the folklore artist will be able to begin re-recording her old songs, a move meant to devalue the original masters. Clearly the new investors weren’t too concerned about that possibility, despite the fact that Taylor has given every indication she’ll go forward with that plan.
The 31-year-old has repeatedly denounced the financiers behind Scooter’s acquisition of her early albums. While accepting the Billboard Woman of the Year award in 2019, she said:
“This just happened to me without my approval, consultation or consent. After I was denied the chance to purchase my music outright, my entire catalog was sold to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in a deal that I’m told was funded by the Soros family, 23 Capital and the Carlyle Group. Yet, to this day, none of these investors have bothered to contact me or my team directly — to perform their due diligence on their investment. On their investment in me. To ask how I might feel about the new owner of my art, the music I wrote, the videos I created, photos of me, my handwriting, my album designs.”
Related: Taylor Opens Up About ‘Normalcy’ In Her Relationship With Joe Alwyn!
It remains to be seen whether anyone consulted the Grammy winner about her masters changing hands this time around — we’d hope so, after all the anguish and drama over the original sale. We’ll also have to wait and see if the star moves forward with her plans to re-record.
Whatever happens, somehow we doubt we’ve heard the last of this situation. We’ll be VERY interested to see how Ms. Swift responds.
[Image via WENN/Avalon & Taylor Swift/YouTube]
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