Taylor Swift Says Awards Show Appearance, Documentary Are Being Blocked by Former Label Head
Millions of fans were looking forward to seeing Taylor Swift appear on the American Music Awards Nov. 24 to accept a prestigious Artist of the Decade honor—but the superstar has taken to social media to announce her performance is up in the air due to restrictions from Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun.
"I’ve been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show," Swift told her fans in an impassioned post titled "Don't know what else to do" across her social media platforms. "Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have now said that I’m not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be re-recording my music before I’m allowed to next year."
Swift added that there was more at stake: "Additionally - and this isn’t the way I had planned on telling you this news - Netflix has created a documentary about my life for the past few years. Scott and Scooter have declined the use of my older music or performance footage for this project, even though there is no mention of either of them or Big Machine Records anywhere in the film."
Swift noted that the two music moguls—who own her back catalog as a result of a $300 million deal earlier this year—will only loosen their restrictions on two conditions. "If I agree to not re-record copycat versions of my songs next year (which is something I’m both legally allowed to do and looking forward to) and also told my team that I need to stop talking about him and Scooter Braun," she explained.
The feud going on between Swift and Borchetta/Braun has been making headlines all year. Swift denounced strongly and publicly the announcement of Borchetta and Braun's partnership, as well as the sale, due to personal bad blood with Braun—plus stood up to the arrangement by announcing a plan to re-record her first six albums in an attempt to gain control of her masters.
"The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished," Swift elaborated. "This is WRONG. Neither of these men had a hand in the writing of those songs. They did nothing to create the relationship I have with my fans."
To that end, Swift put out a plea to her fans to help her in this cause. "Please let Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun know how you feel about this. Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work," she wrote. "Please ask them for help with this - I’m hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote."
Braun manages, among others, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. Swift released her latest album Lover in August, her first on Republic Records.
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