Scooter Braun retires from music after 23 years following Taylor Swift controversy

Talent manager Scooter Braun with pop star Justin Bieber (Yui Mok/PA)

Scooter Braun has announced his retirement from talent management after 23 years.

The New York-born entrepreneur, 42, first rose to fame after helping launch the career of Justin Bieber, but was marred in controversy in recent years over acquiring the master recordings of Taylor Swift's first six albums.

Over the past year, a number of Braun's high-profile clients including Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Carly Rae Jepsen have all parted ways with the music mogul. 

Braun said he has stepped back to focus on his role as a father, as well as chief executive of Hybe America, which acquired Braun’s company Ithaca Holdings in 2021.

In an Instagram post, Braun said: “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.

For my entire adult life I played the role of an artist manager on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

But, Braun said, "as my children got older, and my personal life took some hits, I came to the realization that my kids were 3 superstars I wasn’t willing to lose.

“The sacrifices I was once willing to make I could no longer justify. It was time to step into a new role.”

Braun said he is now “a father first, a CEO second, and a manager no more.”

He added that he has been “heading towards this destination” for the past two years but said “it wasn’t until last summer that this new chapter became a reality”.

“One of my biggest clients and friends told me that they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction,” he said.

Talent manager Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Big Narstie (Yui Mok/PA)

“We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt I saw it as a sign.”

Braun did not outline who this client was.

The PA news agency understands that Frozen star Idina Menzel and singer Demi Lovato parted ways with Braun in summer 2023, after both being represented by him since 2019.

In his statement, Braun outlined some of his “truly overwhelming” career highlights, including watching Usher perform at the Super Bowl this year.

He continued: “There has been a lot said about what is happening in our company… and in my career.

“When we had success I smiled, and when we were attacked I tried to always take the high road.

“But for the last 3 years I have begun to feel that taking the high road has created confusion and ambiguity as to who we are.”

In 2019 Scooter Braun’s company acquired the rights to Swift’s first six albums (Jane Barlow/PA)

Attention was drawn to Braun’s management in 2019 when he became embroiled in a feud with Taylor Swift after acquiring the recordings of her first six albums after he bought her former label.

Following the announcement, Swift took to Tumblr to share her response to the news with her fans, writing "I learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world.

"Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy."

Though the masters have since changed hands again after a deal with investment firm Shamrock Capital, Swift has continued with a bid to regain ownership of the music by creating new versions of the songs through her (Taylor's Version) project.