What has Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber’s manager, done to upset Taylor Swift?
American singer says Braun’s acquisition of her music catalogue, after buying her former record label in a US$300 million deal, is her ‘worse case scenario’
American singer Taylor Swift wrote on Tumblr on June 30 that it would be her “worse case scenario” to have Hollywood talent manager Scot “Scooter” Braun control her music catalogue.
Braun's acquisition of Taylor Swift's former record label, Big Machine Label Group, is the latest move in his plan to transform his company, SB Projects, into one of the most powerful forces in Hollywood.
Despite Swift’s concerns, many other stars including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Karlie Kloss are happy to let him control their careers.
After signing Bieber in 2008, Braun became “the defining music executive of the social media era, known for aggressive online cross-promotion between clients”, The New York Times reported.
The 38-year-old Braun is a native of Stratford, Ontario, in Canada.
He attended Emory University and worked as a party promoter before discovering Bieber, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Braun began his career in Hollywood as Bieber's manager.
He reportedly approached Bieber after seeing videos of the 13-year-old Bieber singing R&B songs on YouTube in 2008.
Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, told The New York Times in 2009 that Braun “tracked down Justin's school, calling board members, imploring them to contact [her]”.