Music manager Scooter Braun has urged Taylor Swift to call an end to their ongoing feud, after revealing that he and his family have received death threats.
The pair have been involved in a very public dispute after it was revealed he had bought her old record label, Big Machine, and therefore owned the masters to the singer’s first six albums.
Taylor described the matter as her “worst case scenario” at the time, suggesting she’d been “bullied” by both Scooter and acts he has managed in the past – including Justin Bieber and Kanye West – for a number of years.
More recently, Taylor public berated both Big Machine and Scooter when it was suggested they were preventing her from performing her old hits at the American Music Awards, leading to a public back and forth between the label and the chart-topping singer.
While he has largely remained silent on the matter, Scooter has now posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, in which he revealed he felt compelled to speak out after revealing someone had threatened him, his wife and his children.
Addressing Taylor directly, he wrote: “Since your public statement last week there have been numerous death threats directed at my family.
“This morning I spoke out publicly for the first time saying I wouldn’t participate in a social media war. However I came home to find my wife had received a phone call threatening the safety of our children as well as other threats seen above.
“I won’t go into detail of this past week. I have been at a loss. Thinking of my wife and children, my team and their families, I have gone through a range of emotions on how to deal with this.”
He continued: “I write this now only after a deep breathe and much reflection. I am certain there is no situation ever worth jeopardising anyone’s safety.
“I assume this was not your intention but it is important that you understand that your words carry a tremendous amount of weight and that your message can be interpreted by some in different ways.
“While disappointed that you have remained silent after being notified by your attorney 4 days ago of these ongoing threats, I’m still hopeful we can fix this.
“We are living in a time of pointless violence and as a husband and father I am concerned.”
He also suggested that Taylor had turned down multiple offers to sit down and talk with him about her dissatisfaction over him buying Big Machine.
“It almost feels as if you have no interest in ever resolving the conflict,” he wrote. “At this point with safety becoming a concern I have no choice other than to publicly ask for us to come together and try to find a resolution.
“I have tried repeatedly through your representatives to achieve a solution but unfortunately here we are. This game of telephone isn’t working.
“While I am frustrated with your accusations and respectfully disagree with many of your statements, it is important that I am clear – no artist should ever feel cornered or bullied. I have spent my entire career in service of creatives and artists, never the other way around.
“As the world now knows you can and should perform any song you would like at the AMAs. I have never and would never say otherwise. You do not need anyone’s permission to do so legally but I am stating it here clearly and publicly so there is no more debate or confusion.”
HuffPost UK has contacted Taylor Swift’s representatives for comment.
Taylor signed with Big Machine when she was 15 years old, and released six albums during her time at the label, including Fearless and 1989, both of which won Album Of The Year at the Grammys.
She eventually joined Universal Music Group in 2018, and released her first album as part of the new deal, Lover, over the summer.