Scooter Braun is hoping to set the record straight with regard to his “very unfortunate” professional rift with Taylor Swift.
The music mogul acquired Taylor’s master recordings from her first six albums in 2019 as part of a controversial $300 million deal with her former record label, Big Machine.
After news of the sale broke, Taylor published a lengthy Tumblr blog post accusing Scooter of “manipulative bullying” and orchestrating conflicts she’s had with Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
In an interview with Variety published on Wednesday, Scooter expressed regret over how the deal was publicly handled.
“All of what happened has been very confusing and not based on anything factual,” said the executive, who counts Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato among his clients.
“I don’t know what story she was told. 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.
“Open communication is important and can lead to understanding,” he continued. “She and I only met briefly three or four times in the past, and all our interactions were really friendly and kind.”
A year after the acquisition, Scooter sold the rights to Taylor’s recordings to a private equity company called Shamrock Holding, netting a reported $160 million profit.
As for Taylor herself, she’s begun re-recording her albums from the Big Machine era, which span from 2006’s Taylor Swift to 2017’s Reputation, in an effort to regain artistic and financial control over that material. The second of those albums, Red (Taylor’s Version), is due to be released in November.
Elsewhere in his Variety interview, Scooter said he felt personally hurt at having been labeled a “bully.”
“I’m firmly against anyone ever being bullied,” he explained. “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,” he noted.