In a shocking turn of events, music manager Scooter Braun, through his company Ithaca Holdings LLC, purchased Big Machine Label Group in 2019 for an astonishing $300 million. This deal included the master rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums, leaving many fans disheartened. Recently, Braun sold these master rights, raising questions about how individuals in the music industry can freely trade another artist’s work. Swift has since voiced her concerns about this situation.
Reportedly, the value of Swift’s master catalog, which spans from her 2006 self-titled debut to her 2017 album Reputation, is around $140 million. This means that Braun made a significant profit from the sale of her music—without having any role in its creation or performance.
Swift’s Response
On November 16, 2020, Swift took to Twitter to express her feelings regarding Braun’s actions and her attempts to regain ownership of her music. She revealed that her team had sought negotiations with Braun, but they faced significant obstacles. Swift stated, “Scooter’s team wanted me to sign an ironclad NDA stating I would never say another word about Scooter Braun.”