Taylor Swift's Harsh Reaction to Scooter Braun Buying Her Master Recordings Left Him 'Shocked' — As Former Music Manager Has 'A Lot of Guilt' Over Career
Scooter Braun opened up about his controversial career and past feud with Taylor Swift.
June 9 2025, Published 7:05 p.m. ET
Scooter Braun confessed he has "guilt" over the young artists he previously managed, and was "shocked" by Taylor Swift's reaction to him acquiring the rights to her first six studio albums, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The former talent manager, 43, opened up about his experience managing artists, including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, during a recent appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
Taylor's Tumblr Post Left Braun 'Shocked'
Braun said he thought buying Swift's former label Big Machine would be an 'exciting thing' and they could 'work together.'
While looking back on the Swift fiasco, Braun said he thought buying her former label, Big Machine, in 2019 would be an "exciting thing."
But soon after the sale was final, the Love Story singer said she was "sad and grossed out" by Braun controlling her master recordings in a Tumblr post.
She further accused Braun of "incessant, manipulative bullying."
Braun said: "When I bought Big Machine, I thought I was going to work with all the artists on Big Machine. I thought it was going to be an exciting thing."
Braun said he thought Swift didn't like him because he was managing Kanye West and Justin Bieber at the time.
He recalled meeting Swift a few times, adding: "(She) invited me to a private party and we respected each other."
The ex-talent manager continued: "In between that time, since I'd seen her last, I started managing Kanye West, I managed Justin Bieber. I knew she didn't get along with them.
"I had a feeling – 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.
"And then this Tumblr (post) comes out and says all this stuff. And I was just, like, shocked."
Swift Buys Back Masters
Swift recently bought back her master recordings for an estimated $360million.
Following the infamous Tumblr post, Swift's fans refused to stream the albums Braun acquired, and the singer hit back by re-recording and releasing her first six albums under "Taylor's Version."
Recently, Swift had the last laugh when she bought back the rights to her master recordings for an estimated $360million.
Now, Braun confessed he has "a lot of guilt" over how he handled working with younger artists.
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Braun confessed he feels 'a lot of guilt' over how he managed younger artists during his career.
He explained: "At this age, I feel a lot of guilt. I feel a lot of guilt because I worked with so many artists, and like I told you, I hadn't taken the time to look at myself or do the therapy myself until I was older.
"So I didn't understand at 25 years old, at 27 years old, at 30 years old, that they each were coming from very unique backgrounds of their own stuff with their own families and their own childhoods and growing up this way, and being seen by the whole world."
Braun, who retired from the industry in 2024, also said that if he could go back in time, he would make sure all of his artists had access to a therapist.
The former manager explained: "I'm very proud of the job that we did and how much we cared and how much the team cared for all the years that we did it. But it doesn't mean I don't look back and wish that I knew what I know now. I think I would have had a therapist on the road for all of us."
