Scott Borchetta has joined the war of words that was sparked Sunday when Taylor Swift publicly denounced the acquisition of her former label by Scott ‘Scooter’ Braun.
In a Tumblr post, Swift called Braun’s ownership of her master recordings as the “worst case scenario” and accused him of trying to “dismantle” her musical legacy.
Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Label Group (BMLG), said “it’s time for some truth.”
He questioned Swift’s claim that she learned of the deal “as it was announced to the world.” Borchetta countered that the pop star’s father Scott Swift is a shareholder in Big Machine Records LLC and was informed of the pending deal on June 25.
Borchetta also said he texted Swift on June 29 with a heads-up.
“I guess it might somehow be possible that her dad Scott, 13 Management lawyer Jay Schaudies (who represented Scott Swift on the shareholder calls) or 13 Management executive and Big Machine LLC shareholder Frank Bell (who was on the shareholder calls) didn’t say anything to Taylor over the prior 5 days,” he wrote. “I guess it’s possible that she might not have seen my text. But, I truly doubt that she ‘woke up to the news when everyone else did.’”
MORE: Taylor Swift Sparks War Of Words
Borchetta also challenged Swift’s assertion that she left BMLG in 2018 “because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future.”
He claimed: “Taylor had every chance in the world to own not just her master recordings, but every video, photograph, everything associated to her career. She chose to leave.”
In her Tumblr post on Sunday, Swift claimed: “Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to” – which Borchetta said he “never experienced.”
He added: “Was I aware of some prior issues between Taylor and Justin Bieber? Yes. But there were also times where Taylor knew that I was close to Scooter and that Scooter was a very good source of information for upcoming album releases, tours, etc, and I’d reach out to him for information on our behalf. Scooter was never anything but positive about Taylor.”
Borchetta said Braun “has always been and will continue to be a supporter and honest custodian for Taylor and her music.”
Among those defending Braun publicly are his clients Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato and his Canadian wife Yael Cohen.
In an Instagram Story, Lovato shared: “I have dealt with bad people in the industry and Scooter is not one of them. He’s a good man. Personally, I’m grateful he came into my life when he did. Please stop ‘dragging’ people or bullying them. There’s enough hate in this world as it is.”
Taking Swift’s side are artists like Halsey and Iggy Azalea.
Todrick Hall tweeted: “I left Scooter Braun a long time ago...I am saddened by this news, but not shocked. He is an evil person who’s (sic) only concern is his wealth and feeding his disgusting ego. I believe he is homophobic & I know from his own mouth that he is not a Swift fan.
“I truly hope justice is served and that my friend’s music will fall into the hands of a better human.”
Hall added: "I would normally not say anything because I’m sure scooter will threaten me like he has before to keep me quiet, but guess what Scooter, nothing you can do to me would be worst than the 6 years of my life I can’t get back from when & I was ignored as your ‘artist.’”