Scooter Braun Gets Candid About Sadness Over Taylor Swift Masters Drama

Scooter Braun is opening up about his true feelings regarding his purchase of Taylor Swift’s masters recordings.

In a brand-new interview with Variety, the music mogul is getting candid about Taylor, his sadness over one of the biggest moments in the music world in recent history and the aftermath of it all.

Scooter's Ithaca Holdings LLC acquired Big Machine Label Group and all their assets, which included the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums, in 2019.

Although terms of the agreement were not disclosed, a source told Billboard the deal topped $300 million and also includes the music publishing operation, Big Machine Music.

Taylor, who is never one to shy away from speaking out, responded by posting a screenshot to her Instagram stories of a photo Justin Bieber had posted a while back, with Scooter Braun and Kanye West, writing, “Taylor Swift what up”. She wrote on the photo QUOTE, “This is Scooter Braun, bullying me on social media when I was at my lowest point. He’s about to own all the music I’ve ever made.”

She then linked an even longer Tumblr post to her story, where she explained her side of what went down.

She wrote, “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. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. 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.”

The “Love Story” singer dubbed this moment in her career “my worst-case scenario.”

Taylor’s fanbase better known as “Swifties” went OFF on Scooter labeling him a “bully” and have boycotted him ever since.

Being labeled a “bully” didn’t sit well with Scooter. In the interview he said, “The thing that struck me the worst is the word “bully.” I’m firmly against anyone ever being bullied. I always try to lead with appreciation and understanding. The one thing I’m proudest of in that moment was that my artists and team stood by me. They know my character and my truth. That meant a lot to me. In the long run, I’m happy for my life’s work to be the legacy I leave behind.”

Since the purchase and sale of her masters, Taylor has started re-recording her first six albums. She released “Fearless Taylor’s Version” earlier this year, and recently announced she would release “Red Taylor’s Version” on November 19.

Scooter maintained he offered Taylor every opportunity to buy back her masters.

He told Variety, “I regret and it makes me sad that Taylor had that reaction to the deal. … All of what happened has been very confusing and not based on anything factual. I don’t know what story she was told.”

The music manager continued, “I asked for her to sit down with me several times, but she refused. I offered to sell her the catalog back and went under NDA, but her team refused. It all seems very unfortunate.”

In 2020, Taylor said Scooter offered her an NDA that would “silence her forever.”

Scooter expressed the importance of open communication to the outlet and claimed all conversations with the singer prior to the deal were friendly and kind.

“Open communication is important and can lead to understanding. She and I only met briefly three or four times in the past, and all our interactions were really friendly and kind,” Scotter told the outlet.

Despite the strained relationship between the music powerhouses, he praised Taylor for her talent.

“I find her to be an incredibly talented artist and wish her nothing but the best,” he said.