Record executive Scooter Braun, who became widely known for his public feud with Taylor Swift, has announced his retirement as a music manager after a 23-year career. This decision comes five years after the controversy with Swift that led the pop star to re-record her first six albums.
In a reflective Instagram post on Monday, Braun expressed gratitude for his career. “I have been blessed to have had a ‘Forrest Gump’-like life while witnessing and taking part in the journeys of some of the most extraordinarily talented people the world has ever seen,” he wrote. “I’m constantly pinching myself and asking, ‘How did I get here?’ And after 23 years, this chapter as a music manager has come to an end.”
Braun has managed some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. However, reports surfaced last summer suggesting that many of Braun’s A-list clients were distancing themselves from him. According to Puck News, Braun and Bieber, who had collaborated throughout Bieber’s career, “haven’t talked in months,” while Billboard and People reported that Grande had also split with Braun.
A source within the music industry downplayed these rumors, stating that Braun was merely transitioning into a broader role as CEO of HYBE America. HYBE America, the U.S. division of the South Korean entertainment company HYBE, is known for managing BTS. Braun became the sole CEO of HYBE America last year.
In his statement, Braun explained that his retirement from management was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his children. He emphasized the need to prioritize his role as a father over his professional commitments, saying he needs to be a “father first, a CEO second, and a manager no more.”
Braun also mentioned that this new chapter in his life began last summer when one of his prominent clients and friends expressed a desire to explore new directions. Without naming the client, Braun wrote, “We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt, I saw it as a sign. You see, life doesn’t hand you YOUR plan, it hands you GOD’s plan.”
His Instagram post included acknowledgments of many artists he has worked with, including Bieber and Grande, whom he pledged to “continue to root for.”
Braun’s retirement comes half a decade after his dispute with Swift, which led to the singer’s “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings. In 2019, Swift publicly objected to Braun acquiring ownership of the master recordings of her first six albums through his purchase of Big Machine Records. She accused Braun of “incessant, manipulative bullying” and announced her intention to re-record the albums to reclaim ownership of her masters.
Swift has two albums left to re-record: “Reputation” and her self-titled debut, “Taylor Swift.”
In a 2022 interview with MSNBC, Braun acknowledged Swift’s right to re-record her albums but criticized her for “weaponizing a fanbase” against him, calling it “very dangerous.”
Braun later sold Swift’s masters to the private equity firm Shamrock Capital Content Fund. A documentary detailing the dispute, titled “Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood,” is set to premiere on Max this month.