Earlier today, music mogul Scooter Braun announced his holding company Ithaca Holdings LLC had acquired Taylor Swift's former label Big Machine Label Group. The purchase mean that Braun now owns the masters for Swift's first six albums — a move that is not sitting well with the artist.
In an open letter posted to her Tumblr, Swift said she was "sad and grossed out" by the sale. She claimed Braun bullied her by working with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to make her look like the villain in the wake of the controversy surrounding Kanye's "Famous" lyrics and subsequent music video, which features a naked model of Swift. She called the video "revenge porn."
"This is my worst case scenario," Swift said of the sale, adding, "This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term 'loyalty' is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says 'Music has value,' he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it."
Swift added her former label boss Scott Borchetta must have known she would be upset by the move, saying, "Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn't want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever."
Since posting the open letter, #WeStandWithTaylor has trended worldwide and numerous big artists have reportedly unfollowed Scooter Braun on Instagram, including Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus.
Read Taylor Swift's full Tumblr post below. Her new album Lover will arrive August 23 through Republic.
In an open letter posted to her Tumblr, Swift said she was "sad and grossed out" by the sale. She claimed Braun bullied her by working with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to make her look like the villain in the wake of the controversy surrounding Kanye's "Famous" lyrics and subsequent music video, which features a naked model of Swift. She called the video "revenge porn."
"This is my worst case scenario," Swift said of the sale, adding, "This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term 'loyalty' is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says 'Music has value,' he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it."
Swift added her former label boss Scott Borchetta must have known she would be upset by the move, saying, "Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn't want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever."
Since posting the open letter, #WeStandWithTaylor has trended worldwide and numerous big artists have reportedly unfollowed Scooter Braun on Instagram, including Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus.
Read Taylor Swift's full Tumblr post below. Her new album Lover will arrive August 23 through Republic.
