Scooter Braun is noted for bringing up performers such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. Along with his accomplishments, he is also well-known for infamously purchasing Taylor Swift’s music collection in 2019. That sparked a highly publicized rivalry, and it resulted in the mega-star opting to re-record her first six albums. Now that Taylor’s Versions are available, and more are on the way as she re-creates her first six eras, the artist has made it apparent that she is enraged by Braun’s choice to purchase her library, and the manager has opened up about how he thinks about how everything went down.
Braun acknowledged his career’s ups and downs, notably the purchase of Big Machine Records, Swift’s record label, and Swift’s repertoire. During an interview with Bloomberg, he discussed how he has tried to develop from the incident, saying:
I prefer to think of it this way: every time you think someone is attacking you or something is unjust to you, you play a part in it because you are a part of the story. And two, you can choose to be angry, resentful, or bitter and become the story in your rage, or you can say thank you for contributing to my progress and go on.
When asked explicitly about Swift, the music industry titan revealed to NPR a few months ago that he would have done things differently. He talked about how he was bound by an NDA while the agreement was being worked up, and he couldn’t inform any of the artists what was going on. Braun addressed the conflict with Swift without naming the singer, saying:
I believe a lot of information was lost in translation. I believe that if you are unwilling to have a talk with someone, it is very difficult to resolve the dispute. So, my regret is that I assumed that once the sale was done, everyone would have a talk with me, see my intent, see my character, and say, ‘Excellent, let’s do business together.’ And I made the same assumption about folks I didn’t know.
After Swift complained about her manager and others not allowing her to have a voice in who owned her music, Braun sold the singer’s masters back to her in 2020. This is what enabled her to re-record her music. The billionaire concluded his interview with NPR by conceding that he felt unfairly treated, but he also acknowledged that Swift might feel the same way, explaining:
I didn’t like how it all turned out. It seemed unjust to me. But I realize from the other side that they probably felt it was unjust as well. I chose to see it as a learning experience, a developing experience, and I wish everyone involved the best. I don’t believe in pulling for anyone to lose, so I’m rooting for everyone to win.
Swift has already released four entirely new albums that she owns – Midnights, Folklore, Evermore, and Lover – as well as two re-issued albums – Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version). With the release of Midnights, there have been Easter eggs hidden in music videos such as “Bejeweled” and “Lavender Haze,” leading fans to believe that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) will be next on Swift’s long list of impending projects.
Based on the few times Braun has spoken out about his feud with Taylor Swift, it appears like he has utilized it as a learning experience. Meanwhile, the pop diva is preparing to embark on the Eras Tour, and she plans to re-release Speak Now, her debut album, Reputation, and 1989 in the coming years as she pursues her goal of making all of her albums Taylor’s Version.
