Scooter Braun has reflected on the long-running controversy surrounding his purchase of Taylor Swift’s early masters, admitting he still doesn’t fully “understand” how the situation escalated.
The music executive bought Big Machine Label Group in 2019 in a deal reportedly worth $300 million, acquiring the master recordings for Taylor’s first six albums – Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation.
Taylor publicly criticised the sale at the time, saying she was never given the chance to buy the rights herself. The catalogue was later sold on to Shamrock Capital, prompting her to begin re-recording the albums. The Shake It Off hitmaker was eventually able to buy back the rights to her music catalogue in a landmark $360 million deal.
Speaking on the Second Thought with Suzy Weiss podcast, Scooter said he had almost no relationship with Taylor before the backlash.
He said: “I don’t know Taylor Swift. I think I’ve met her in my life three times.
“I have never had a substantial conversation with her. One time I got invited to a private party by her. She told me she had the utmost respect for me. I told her I had the most respect for her.”
He insisted he was excited by the idea of working with her when he bought Big Machine.
Scooter said: “You don’t spend $300 million buying a label that she’s on unless you’re excited at the opportunity to work with her. I will never truly understand that situation. To this day, I wish her nothing but the best.”
He went on to say he had no contact with Taylor in the years leading up to the acquisition.
He explained: “The party was like two or three years earlier, and then never had any contact through the whole thing. So I’m just as confused that this is part of my life as you are. But I choose to learn and grow from it.”
Reflecting on the wider industry, he said the saga highlighted a shift in how artists view ownership.
He said: “The majority of masters are still owned by labels. As confusing as it was to me, I think what it did bring to light is that artists are going to start wanting to own their masters, and you’re seeing that more and more – and I think that’s great.”
