Scooter Braun Claps Back: Taylor Swift Fans “Made the Horrible Miscalculation That I Care”

Scooter Braun speaks out on Taylor Swift fans’ backlash over her masters, explaining his stance and the surprising business wins from their feud.

The Controversy Over Taylor Swift’s Masters

Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun in the eye of a music industry storm

If you’ve followed the music world in recent years, you know the drama between Scooter Braun and Taylor Swift has been nothing short of intense. The root of the tension? Braun’s purchase of Swift’s back catalogue masters and the fallout that followed. Fans of Taylor Swift reacted strongly against Braun after his company, Ithaca Holdings, bought her old record label Big Machine Label Group in 2019, along with her masters. The situation escalated when Braun sold those masters to Shamrock Capital for a reported $300 million the following year, sparking waves of anger among Swift’s loyal fans.

Taylor Swift didn’t hold back either, publicly calling Braun’s actions “the worst-case scenario” and accusing him of “incessant, manipulative bullying” on her Tumblr blog. This sparked a crusade from Swift to regain control of her music by re-recording her first six albums.

Taylor’s Version: Reclaiming Her Music

Between 2021 and 2023, Taylor Swift released re-recorded versions known as “Taylor’s Version” of her albums, including Fearless (2008), Red (2012), Speak Now (2010), and 1989 (2014). These re-recordings didn’t just satisfy fans—they smashed Spotify streaming records and rejuvenated Swift’s career in a major way.

In a triumphant turn of events, Swift bought back her masters in May, securing full control over her entire catalogue for the first time. She reflected on this milestone with gratitude:

“I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away... All of the music I’ve ever made … now belongs … to me.”

Scooter Braun’s Response: Why He “Doesn’t Care”

Recently, Braun opened up on Danielle Robay’s Question Everything podcast about the backlash he’s faced from Swift’s fans. He didn’t mince words, saying:

“They made the horrible miscalculation that I care.”

He explained that the loud criticism of a vocal minority doesn’t affect him personally. Braun highlighted the sheer size of Swift’s fanbase, pointing out that the angry crowd is actually less than 1% of her total followers. He emphasized empathy and kindness instead of getting caught up in celebrity drama:

“Most people are dealing with their own problems. I think it’s just a more productive use of your time to not get stuck in the craziness of celebrity fodder and focus more on being kind to people.”

A Win-Win Situation, Surprisingly

Despite the drama, Braun believes everyone ultimately benefited from the dispute. He praised Swift’s strategy as “brilliant” and pointed out the business side’s interesting outcome:

• Swift’s re-recordings boosted her career to new heights.
• Each new release caused a spike in streams of the original masters.
• The buyers of the masters also profited from these spikes.

He summarized:

“It’s a great example where all ships can rise and there doesn’t need to be an enemy.”

Looking Back: Braun’s Reflections and Regrets

In another recent interview on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast, Braun called the backlash “deeply unfair.” He shared that when he bought Big Machine, he hoped to work with all the artists, including Taylor. However, tensions arose given his management of artists like Kanye West and Justin Bieber, who had previous conflicts with Swift.

Braun admitted his “arrogance” in assuming they would get along and said he was shocked by Swift’s public outburst on Tumblr. On selling the masters, he said:

“I couldn’t fix the relationship that I didn’t have, but then I was able to figure out, ‘You know what? We’ll sell it.’... I did offer it [to Swift] multiple times in that process. They said no, I sold to someone else, washed my hands of it and moved on.”

The saga even inspired a Max two-part documentary titled Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood, released last summer. Braun has since said it’s “time to move on” and believes many things in the documentary were “misrepresented.” He also reflected on the lessons learned:

“When you have a conflict with someone, it’s very hard to resolve it if you’re not willing to have a conversation.”

Conclusion: Can Music Industry Conflicts Ever Truly Be Resolved?

The Taylor Swift–Scooter Braun story is a prime example of how personal and business conflicts can collide in the music world. Yet Braun’s take on kindness and moving past the feud offers a hopeful perspective. Do you think these battles over music rights will ever stop making headlines, or is conflict just part of the industry?

FAQs

• How did Scooter Braun acquire Taylor Swift’s masters?
  Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, bought Big Machine Label Group in 2019, which included Swift’s masters.
• Why did Taylor Swift start re-recording her albums?
  To regain ownership and control of her music after losing the rights to her original masters.
• Did Scooter Braun sell Taylor Swift’s masters?
  Yes, he sold them to Shamrock Capital for $300 million in 2020.
• Has Taylor Swift regained control of her masters?
  Yes, in May 2023, she successfully bought back her masters, gaining full control.
• What’s Scooter Braun’s current stance on the controversy?
  He believes the backlash was unfair, doesn’t care about the angry fans, and says everyone eventually benefited from the situation.

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