Every Taylor Swift fan knows the name Scooter Braun.
The record executive soared to headlines in 2019 after he purchased Big Machine Records – which included Swift’s entire catalog up to that point – and Swift, 35, responded with a statement about how the reported $300 million deal was her “worst case scenario”.
She made it clear that she didn’t approve, claiming to be the subject of Braun’s “incessant, manipulative bullying” for several years, but now, Braun, 43, has shared his side of the story.
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The sale of her masters to Braun was what prompted Swift to re-record her original six albums, and Braun became somewhat of a punching bag for the Swifties for years to come.
And while the narrative seemed to be predictable enough to Swift and her fans, Braun has now shared that he never expected things to go this way when he made the monumental purchase.
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“I thought I was going to work with all the artists on Big Machine,” Braun shared on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
“I thought it was going to be an exciting thing, I knew that Taylor – she and I had only met three times I think in my life, three or four times.
“And one of the times – it was years earlier, it was really a great engagement, she invited me to a private party and we respected each other.”
After that “engagement” Braun took on both Kanye West and Justin Bieber as clients, explaining that he knew that Swift “didn’t get along with them”, but didn’t think that their relationship would affect him.
“This is where my arrogance came in, I had a feeling she probably didn’t like me because I managed them but I thought that once this announcement happened she would talk to me, see who I am, and we would work together,” he shared.
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But it all took a turn when Swift took to Tumblr to share a scathing letter about why she didn’t approve of the sale, which Braun says left him feeling “shocked”.
“Having that experience allows me to have empathy for the people I worked with who I would always say ‘yeah I understand,'” he said.
“But I never knew what it was like to be on the global stage like that, I never knew what criticism like that felt like.”
Braun sold Swift’s masters to Shamrock Capital in November 2020.
On May 30, 2025, Swift announced she had finally been able purchase her own catalog from Shamrock, regaining control of her entire discography.
In a lengthy note posted to her official website, Swift announced: “All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me.
“I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now. The best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are.”
“We are thrilled with this outcome and are so happy for Taylor,” Shamrock Capital said in a statement.
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