Taylor Swift's Masters Battle: Pop Star's Dad Allegedly 'Told in Advance' About Scooter Braun Deal, Despite Claims She Never Got a Chance to Buy
July 6 2023, Published 4:10 p.m. ET
It just passed the four-year mark when Taylor Swift sent shockwaves by announcing that masters of her first six albums had been purchased by music executive Scooter Braun as part of a deal that left her feeling "sad and grossed out."
As the pop star's latest album, third re-record, Speak Now, is slated to drop tomorrow, industry insiders familiar with both deals said there is more to the story, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Billy Joel recently compared Taylor Swift's rabid fanbase to that of The Beatles.
It is now claimed that her father, Scott Swift — a stakeholder in her former record label Big Machine Label Group — as well as her management team were "told in advance" and the chart-topping artist was not duped out of her own music catalog.
"Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy," Taylor previously wrote in a lengthy Tumblr post, which noted she knew Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta would sell but not to Braun.
"Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter," she continued. "Thankfully, I am now signed to a label that believes I should own anything I create."
"And hopefully, young artists, or kids, with musical dreams will read this and learn about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation."
Scott Swift
New findings contradict Scott's claim that he had no knowledge of Braun's Ithaca Holdings purchasing BMLG as well as Taylor's own claims that she was never given the chance to buy her masters when Braun came to sell them in October 2020.
Ithaca purchased the Nashville-based independent record label in June 2019 for just over $300 million, of which Taylor's catalog was believed to be worth around $140 million.
Scooter Braun
Well-placed sources said Taylor was offered the chance to purchase more than once.
With the deal, Braun had taken control of the usage of Taylor's first six albums and their revenue streams – though she still drew a handsome royalty, it was reported.
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Emails viewed by Daily Mail amid their investigation showed her team allegedly did enter negotiations to buy Taylor's masters when Braun came to sell it.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Swift reps for comment.
A source close to the Bad Blood hitmaker said that she is taking the high road. "In 2020, the ability to evaluate any opportunity for Taylor to purchase her catalog was conditioned on signing a gag order NDA prohibiting her from ever speaking the truth about Scooter and the situation," they said.
"Taylor has completely moved on from this saga, and has turned what started out as an extremely painful situation into one of the most fulfilling creative endeavors of her life."
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