Man, it's a Scott one...
On Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun
As you are probably aware…Taylor Swift is in the news. Maybe you’ve blocked my number because I won’t stop texting you about it in the middle of the night.
Basically, Taylor Swift’s NEMESIS Scott “Scooter” Braun (who manages Justin Bieber and mismanages Carly Rae Jepsen) bought her old record label, Big Machine Records and owns all her old music now. INCLUDING “ALL TOO WELL.” I hope it reminds him of innocence and smells like Taylor.
I sincerely hope that if you are looking for intelligent analysis of the music industry, you are going elsewhere to find it. I am only here for the drama drama. Here’s an overview of this particular deal and here’s a more general look at how artists have always struggled to take control of their masters.
I do believe Taylor should own her work, or at least have the opportunity to buy her music without being forced to sign a contract that requires her to spend the next decade of her life making music for the people who wouldn’t let her own her music in the first place. I think it should be harder for teenagers to enter into these sorts of contracts. (JUSTICE FOR SKY FERREIRA!!!!) I’m glad Taylor is using her leverage to bring some industry slime to light. Most of all, I’m glad she’s distracting me from the first two singles from Lover.
Do I think she found out about the deal with the rest of the world like she claims? No. I also don’t think Scott Borchetta (head of her old label, Big Machine) gave her or her dad (Scott Swift, also a shareholder of Big Machine Records) much of a heads up.
It’s also noteworthy that Borchetta consistently donated to Democratic campaigns until May 2018, when he supported Republican Marsha Blackburn. A few months later, Taylor finally got political with a post about Tennessee elections specifically calling out Blackburn’s policies. The next month, she announced that she was leaving Big Machine Records and signing with UMG.
Source: @TaylorSwift/Instagram
Source: OpenSecrets.org
Ok! So we don’t like Scott Borchetta and we don’t like how difficult it is for artists to to own their work once they’ve signed to a label. Now let’s take a second to look at why Scooter Braun is a particularly undesirable custodian of Swift’s music.
On Tumblr, Taylor pointed specifically to her issues with Kanye West and Justin Bieber, which, okay, I guess we’re rehashing. To quote a song Taylor released LESS THAN A MONTH AGO, “And I ain't tryna mess with your self-expression /
But I've learned a lesson that stressin' and obsessin' 'bout somebody else is no fun /
And snakes and stones never broke my bones.” But yes, Kanye has done some bad things. Making a video using Taylor’s nude likeness in a bed with predators and abusers like Bill Cosby, Chris Brown, and Donald Trump was very icky! Justin Bieber is not capable of a coherent argument, so I’m not including him in this narrative, one that he DID ask to be a part of. Sorry!
I cannot overlook the Kaylor of it all.
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner recently had a second wedding, which is weird because why remind people that you’re related to Ivanka Trump if you don’t have to? Last October, they had a “small” wedding with a mere 80 people in attendance. Practically an elopement! She is the type of person who says “I married my best friend.”
The second ceremony took place Wyoming, and it was an insult to the Yeehaw Agenda. Ivanka and Jared were there, yes. So was the freshly Swift-approved Katy Perry and her fiance, Orlando Bloom. Are they friends? I guess so! Aaaand Scooter Braun and his wife, Yael. Taylor Swift did not attend either ceremony.
Source: @Yael / Instagram
Although Scooter Braun primarily represents musicians, he is also Karlie Kloss’ manager. I wonder what influence he has had in her personal life.
Although Scooter himself has been fairly silent on the matter, his wife composed a Notes App Instagram post with a couple phrases that really stuck out to me. The first being “Tumblr can’t fix this, a phone call can,” which is an assault on everything I believe in. But another has Karlie all over it, “And girl, who are you to talk about bullying? The world has watched you collect and drop friends like wilted flowers.”
Source: Vogue
We will never know the details of what happened between Karlie and Taylor. But ya know, that’s just what your 20s are like! You and your bestie (gal pal?) are unstoppable, inseparable, and adorable on the cover of Vogue together and then your schedules don’t line up even though one of you owns a private jet and oops, you just drifted apart!
I, for one, would be shocked if the dissolution of Taylor’s relationship with Karlie Kloss isn’t a major factor in her distaste for Scooter Braun. I will, once again, refer you to my favorite website on the planet, KaylorEvidence.com, for a full timeline.
Before I leave you, here’s some goss from the TRISSUES TIP LINE: Drew Barrymore complained the cotton candy at Dylan’s Candy Bar in East Hampton was too expensive, but ended up buying some anyway. A tub is $5, which I agree is too much for just sugar and air! But I’m glad Drew was able to budget for it in the end. If you have any celeb spottings you’d like to share, just reply to this email!
Sad and grossed out,
-Trasha