Hello, it’s you again, person who isn’t heavily involved in pop culture but would like to know what’s going on so your kids will talk to you. Taylor Swift and a person named Scooter Braun are at the epicenter of drama this week. Go ahead. Ask away.
What’s going on?
Scooter Braun, manager to the stars, bought Big Machine Records for $300 million. The deal was announced Sunday.
Awesome! Scooter! What a fun name.
If you say so.
Why is this bad?
No one knew it was bad until Taylor Swift posted about it on Tumblr. Taylor Swift signed with Big Machine Records back in, like, 2005, and was one of the label’s first signings. Scott Borchetta, CEO and founder of Big Machine, is actually the one who discovered Swift at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
So what did the blog say?
Well you can read it for yourself, but Swift is angry because the masters to her first six albums were sold along with the label. Swift says that she had the chance to earn back her masters by releasing more albums under Big Machine. Basically, for every new album she would release, she would earn the masters to one of her old albums. Meaning she would need to release six more albums to earn back her masters.
Sounds like a bad deal.
Yes, Swift thinks so.
OK, so now what?
Well, she writes in the blog that she came to terms with the fact that she said goodbye to her old work when she signed to a new record label earlier this year. But when she found out Sunday morning with the rest of America that Scooter Braun bought her masters she was “sad and grossed out.”
Why is that?
She writes in the blog that the only time Scott Borchetta has heard the words “Scooter Braun” come out of her mouth, it was when she was crying or trying not to.
Oh, no. Why?
Braun manages many musicians, including Kanye West, Demi Lovato, and he even was the one who discovered Justin Bieber.
Oh, I knew his name sounded familiar!
Yes. So Swift says she has been at the brunt of Braun’s bullying. Like the time Bieber posted an Instagram of a photo of him FaceTiming Braun and West and captioned it “Taylor swift what up.” Or the time West released a music video for “Famous,” which included Swift’s naked likeness in it.
OK, so Swift thinks Braun has something to do with what his clients do?
Yes.
Sounds messy. Has anyone responded?
Bieber was the first one to respond. And it’s only gotten messier from there. Bieber posted an apology Instagram but also wrote that Swift shouldn’t have taken out her anger on social media.
But didn’t he just do it on social media?
Yes.
What else?
Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber’s wife, commented on his post “gentleman.”
Sweet.
And then model Cara Delevingne, Swift’s best friend, commented to Hailey that she should be a better feminist.
Yikes.
It gets worse.
Oh no.
Then Todrick Hall, who is a singer, dancer, actor, and another of Swift’s friends, tweeted that he always knew Braun was an evil person and he’s not surprised by any of this. And he also thinks Braun is homophobic.
For those asking, I left Scooter Braun a long time ago…I am saddened by this news, but not shocked. He is an evil person who’s only concern is his wealth and feeding his disgusting ego. I believe he is homophobic & I know from his own mouth that he is not a Swift fan.
— Todrick Hall (@todrick) June 30, 2019
Whoa! Can you just say that on the internet?
It’s the internet. People say whatever they want.
Who else joined the convo?!
Then Demi Lovato entered the conversation somehow and said Braun wasn’t homophobic and she should know because she’s a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself. Then Hall said to not discount his experiences.
Man.
Then Hall tweeted out a video he made in 2017 about a bad business deal. He tweeted that it was about his experience with Braun and if you didn’t believe that, there’s a nice reference to Braun at the end of the video that pretty much gives it away.
This is crazy.
Then Braun’s wife posted an Instagram addressing it all. She calls Swift a bully and calls Swift’s blog a “temper tantrum.”
Has Braun said anything?
Not really. Finally, Scott Borchetta responded with a blog on Big Machine’s website. He says Swift had a chance to buy back her albums but refused and that he had no idea that she didn’t like Braun.
Interesting.
Oh, and Braun posted an Instagram story bragging about “buying Taylor Swift.”
Yikes.
And then Borchetta commented on Braun’s Instagram announcing the deal that he was “more excited than ever after today!”
Oh, god.
Exactly.
Has anyone else responded?
Yes, the woman who played Meredith Blake in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap tweeted that she was Team Swift. Cher tweeted that she understands because she’s been in bad deals before, too. Nick Viall, a former Bachelor, is Team Swift.
Me with anyone throwing shade at @taylorswift13. Literally me.
#WeStandWithTaylor pic.twitter.com/YvYTPuCfnD
— Elaine Hendrix (@elaine4animals) July 1, 2019
Unfortunately Can Relate 2 Having Millions Stolen,A FEW TIMES
.Some Close,Some Very Close,Some Supposed 2 Protect Me.
.
PULL UP UR BIG-GIRL
G-STRING,
PULL ON UR RHINESTONE COMBAT BOOTS,KICK
SOME ASS,
&REMEMBER
“YOU ARE A RICH MAN”— Cher (@cher) July 1, 2019
In case you’re all wondering …Team Taylor #IStandWithTaylor
— Nick Viall (@viallnicholas28) June 30, 2019
What happens now?
Well fans want Swift to re-record her first six albums because she does own the publishing rights and if she did that, it would make her masters worth little to nothing. Fans even started a petition.
Will she do that?
We don’t know. How would we know that?
Sorry.
Forgiven.
RELATED: Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour Isn’t a Disaster—It’s a Victory Lap
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The post Please, for The Love of God, Break Down the Taylor Swift-Scooter Braun Drama for Me appeared first on Los Angeles Magazine.