Despite having already been four years since it started, new details on the feud between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun continue to emerge. New information suggests that Swift, and her fans, might have been misdirecting their anger all of these years.
The one-sided feud between the two celebrities started when Scooter acquired the artists’ masters as part of the acquisition of her record label, Big Machine Records, back in June 2019.
Swift has long claimed that she was blindsided by a deal, which involved Scooter and Big Machine Label Group (BMLG). It was owned by Scott Borchetta and… now we’ve learned Taylor’s dad.
A recent report by Music Business Worldwide (MBW) found that there was more to Borchetta’s claims about Taylor Swift’s father being a BMLG shareholder than meets the eye. Not only was the outlet able to verify Mr. Swift’s role in BMLG but also that he personally made $15.1 million from the deal.
Not only did Mr. Swift reportedly own over 5% of the company when the crown jewel of BMLG’s catalog changed hands but Ithaca Holdings, Scooter’s company, also approached Taylor’s management company in late 2019.
MBW obtained a signed “five-page NDA agreement between Ithaca Holdings and 13 Management LLC” that would be associated with a “possible transaction.” Jay Schaudies, one of Taylor’s closest confidants and manager, signed the NDA on behalf of 13 Management, with Scooter doing the same for Ithaca.
In the past, Taylor claimed that she was never given an opportunity to buy her masters from Scooter. Furthermore, she claimed there was never an NDA signed between the parties. The revelation of a newly surfaced NDA from 2019 shows that she either lied to her fans, or her team lied to her. Either way, it shows that Scooter had every intention of selling her masters to her.
Despite Scooter’s overtures to Taylor and her team, her decision to focus her criticism on the music mogul led to speculation at the time. Not only was Scooter one of the many players involved but Taylor’s passionate responses to every action by her former label head, Borchetta or supporters seemed to come from a deeply personal, emotional, and hostile place.
While Scooter describes the star’s behavior as “friendly and kind” when they met in public, Taylor never tried to apologize or personally discuss the matter. In fact, she declined all of Scooter’s attempts for reconciliation, a resentful position she seems to hold to this day.
With Taylor’s fans becoming increasingly hostile as the artist refused to move on, Scooter eventually sold Taylor’s masters in 2020 for a now-reported $265 million profit. Not only did this seem to be a clear attempt to distance himself from a regretful situation but he also stated he still believed Taylor to be an ”incredibly talented artist” for whom he wished “nothing but the best.”
While social media users might not reach a consensus on who is in the wrong, MBW’s findings indicate that there certainly was much more going on behind the scenes than Taylor originally divulged. Whether the whole situation was a misunderstanding or the result of malice by the artist, an apology seems to be in order.
Unfortunately, the star’s refusal to open up on the matter in any way beyond unprovable claims makes such an event unlikely. For now, although Taylor might have massive success as a recording artist, it seems that a lack of accountability might follow the star for the rest of her career.
