Scooter Braun Urges Swifties ‘It’s Time to Move On’ from His Feud with Taylor Swift: ‘It’s 5 Years Later’

Scooter Braun, the music mogul whose name has become synonymous with “Bad Blood” for Taylor Swift and her fanbase, is publicly urging everyone to move past their feud. The tension between the two has been a major point of contention in the music world since Braun acquired the rights to Swift’s first six albums, but now, he’s calling for closure.

During an appearance at the Bloomberg Screentime event in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, Braun addressed the ongoing animosity surrounding the Swift debacle. He specifically referenced Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood, the recent documentary that recaps the history of their fallout and its impact. “Look, it’s five years later,” Braun said during the event. “I think, everyone, it’s time to move on.” The documentary, which aired this summer on Max, dives into the origins of the dispute between Braun and Swift. It outlines how Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, bought Big Machine Label Group in 2019, acquiring the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums, reportedly without Swift’s knowledge or approval. After learning of the sale, Swift expressed her outrage publicly, claiming she had been denied the chance to purchase her own masters. In response, she began the process of re-recording her albums, releasing them as “Taylor’s Versions” to take back control of her music. This move was widely praised by her fans and industry peers alike.

Braun revealed that his parents persuaded him to watch the Bad Blood documentary, which delves into both his and Swift’s perspectives. The documentary suggests that while Braun’s acquisition was legal, Swift felt it was deeply personal and unjust, especially as she was blocked from owning the rights to her own music. For Swifties, the purchase of her masters by Braun was seen as an act of betrayal, one that Swift framed as a toxic power move. The singer has often spoken about how the incident fueled her to take back her narrative, and her fans rallied behind her. What followed were years of online harassment directed at Braun, a public outcry from Swift, and a persistent narrative of bad blood between them.

Braun, however, sees things differently and wishes that more direct communication had taken place. “There were a lot of things that were misrepresented,” he said, alluding to how the feud played out across social media and in the public eye. “I think that it’s important in any kind of conflict that people actually communicate directly with each other. I think doing it out on social media and in front of the whole world is not the place. And I think when people actually take the time to stand in front of each other, have a conversation, they usually find out the monster’s not real, and that hasn’t happened. And that has not happened.”

Braun made it clear that despite the tension, there was never any direct conversation between him and Swift after the deal, something he believes could have potentially resolved things. He emphasized that when conflicts are aired out in public, they often take on a life of their own, much like what happened in his case. In an earlier 2022 interview on The Limits podcast with NPR, Braun admitted to his own naivety regarding the deal and how it would be received. “The regret I have there is that I made the assumption that everyone, once the deal was done, was going to have a conversation with me, see my intent, see my character, and say, ‘Great, let’s be in business together,’” he said.

Instead, Swift’s public statements on the matter led to widespread backlash, with her fanbase mounting a social media campaign against Braun, labeling him as an industry villain. Swift, meanwhile, has found a new way to take ownership of her career with the re-recordings of her albums. Albums like Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) have been commercial and critical successes, allowing Swift to reclaim her legacy and control her own recordings. These re-releases have only intensified the animosity between Swift’s supporters and Braun.

Despite the lingering tension, Braun has now left the world of music management, stepping down from the high-profile role earlier this year. Whether his public request for peace will resonate with Swift or her fans remains to be seen, but the mogul seems ready to leave the feud in the past. As for Swift, her focus remains on her career and her ongoing Eras Tour, as well as the release of her re-recorded albums.

While Braun may want to move on, Swift’s legions of fans may not be so quick to let go of the feud, especially as they continue to support her in her quest to reclaim ownership of her music. Nonetheless, the public feud between Swift and Braun has become a defining chapter in modern music industry history, serving as a reminder of the power dynamics that can exist between artists and those who hold the rights to their work. Whether peace can truly be achieved between Swift and Braun remains uncertain, but for now, the saga shows no signs of ending any time soon.