The internet is burning again, fans are mad, and some powerful men are trying to twist words and shove them in everyone’s face. Yes, we are talking about the Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun feud, which is back in the news, and this time we have Warner Bros. Discovery+’s recent released two-episode documentary, explaining both sides (quite questionable) of the story. Swifties and people who keep up with pop culture already know what went down between these two. But in case you are new to this $300 million conflict that erupted when Scooter Braun acquired the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums in June 2019, scroll down to learn more.
The Backstory
Taylor Swift first met Scooter Braun when Justin Bieber, Braun’s client, opened for Swift’s Fearless tour in 2010. Braun met CEO Scott Borchetta that same evening, and he signed the budding 15-year-old vocalist to Big Machine, his brand-new label at the time. Despite their initial amicable relationship, Swift and Braun’s relationship was short-lived, particularly after Kanye West‘s 2016 song Famous featured some demeaning lyrics pointed towards Taylor Swift (calling her a b*tch). Earlier, West famously cut her off at her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech and said that Beyoncé ought to have taken home the Female Video of the Year Award.
Swift described West’s famous music video as “a revenge porn music video that strips my body naked” in a 2019 Tumblr essay. And just when things were heated between Taylor and Kanye, Braun became West’s manager, ending his association with Taylor. For more context, Swift’s contract with Big Machine, later owned by Scooter, ended in the autumn of 2018.
Things started getting nastier in June 2019 when Braun’s Ithaca Holdings purchased Borchetta’s Big Machine Records. This gave Scooter complete power over the albums Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation, estimated to be worth over $140 million. Later, on June 30, 2019, Taylor Swift shared her thoughts on a Tumblr post, writing that she wasn’t aware of the deal beforehand and that she came to know about Braun’s purchase of her masters as it was announced to the world.
Scooter Braun ‘The Bully’
She labelled him a bully and called him the definition of toxic male privilege in the music industry. She also added, “For years, I asked and pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead, I was given the 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.”
“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.” Swift also penned that “all I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years. 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.”
At a time when all of this was happening everywhere, Kelly Clarkson was one of the first people to suggest that Swift take back her music by re-recording her masters. In August 2019, Taylor Swift announced that she would be re-recording her masters. She dropped Love Story (Taylor’s Version) in February 2021 before rereleasing the entire album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), followed by her other albums now. Taylor’s Version is just a simple term but holds a stronger meaning for the singer who was stripped away of her own music.
@taylorswift13 just a thought, U should go in & re-record all the songs that U don’t own the masters on exactly how U did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions. I’d buy all of the new versions just to prove a point 💁🏼♀️
— Kelly Clarkson 🍷💔☀️ (@kellyclarkson) July 13, 2019
But Barun didn’t stop there; Ithaca Holdings sold Swift’s masters to Shamrock Capital for $300 million. At the time, Swift said in a Twitter post that her team received a letter a few weeks prior from Shamrock Holdings, the private equity firm founded by Roy Disney, telling her that it had bought her first six albums from Braun.
Been getting a lot of questions about the recent sale of my old masters. I hope this clears things up. pic.twitter.com/sscKXp2ibD
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 16, 2020
“This is the second time my music has been sold without my knowledge,” Swift said in the post. According to Swift, Shamrock said that before the sale, Braun required that the firm make no contact with her or her team, or the deal would not go ahead. Swift revealed that she learned from Shamrock that Braun would continue to profit from her old music catalogue “for many years,” thus ending any form of partnership on her part. “I was hopeful and open to the possibility of a partnership with Shamrock, but Scooter’s participation is a non-starter for me,” she added in the tweet.
The bigger question is still unanswered: who was actually wrong?
Divided into two parts, the first episode of the documentary shares Taylor Swift’s point of view, while the second offers Scooter Braun’s version of the case. The documentary features a lot of people talking about the fugitive heads but without any value to the actual question. The series has tonnes of old interview material from the sides, which lessens its impact a little. Overall, it feels like the producers rushed to take advantage of Swift’s rising star power after her most recent tour, The Eras. This isn’t happening for the first time with the singer (people taking advantage of her fame).
The makers could have gotten people from each team to share their opinions, but sadly, this documentary felt like Scoot’s version of gaining sympathy after his dirty work was out in public.
Taylor isn’t the only person who had issues with him; popular singer Madison Beer has often shared how it was difficult to work with Braun when her private images of her were leaked. There’s a common notion about him that as soon as something bad happens, Braun jumps ship. Braun has also messed things up with singer Todrick Hall, where Hall has spoken openly about his negative experiences with Braun.
At the end of the day, everyone is open to their opinions on the case, but powerful men demeaning women in entertainment isn’t new. Calling Taylor “overly emotional” about her music, which she has written herself since her teenage years, is not a cool thing. Women like her in general are looked down upon for simply expressing themselves, but it’s cool when men do the same. The latest Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake feud is more verbal than this case, but, god forbid, people call it a case of emotions.
Catch the docuseries on Discovery+
Also, read: From BTS To Barbie, Here’s Why Men Love Hating On The Things Women Enjoy
