Scooter Braun has managed Justin Bieber (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/AMA2015/FilmMagic)
Scooter Braun has quit music management after 23 years, following reports of clients ending their working relationship with him, and feud with Taylor Swift.
The entrepreneur worked with many of the industry’s biggest stars including Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande, before it was reported they were parting ways with him last year.
He has shared his intention to focus on his family, describing himself as ‘a father first, a CEO second, and a manager no more’. Scooter will remain as chief executive of entertainment company HYBE America. He shares children Levi, Jagger, and Hart with ex-wife Yael Cohen.
The 42-year-old’s big break came when he spotted Justin performing a Ne-Yo cover on YouTube when he was just 12 years old. Scooter convinced the Bieber family to move from Canada to USA, and went on to secure Justin a record deal with Island Def Jam.
The day before Scooter’s retirement announcement, a representative for Justin told People: ‘Scooter Braun and SB Projects are not involved in Justin’s current business or management and will not be involved moving forward. Justin is excited about the projects he is currently working on and is focused on what’s in front of him.’
A source reported their relationship had ‘run its course’ in 2023 as he had little involvement in recent recordings.
Scooter has many high-profile clients (Picture: Instagram / Scooter Braun)
Scooter’s other high-profile clients included David Guetta, Black Eyed Peas, Ava Max, Tori Kelly, and Carly Rae Jepsen.
In an Instagram post, he detailed how he came to the decision to walk away from the job that has defined his last two decades, before sharing albums of photos from his time in the role.
The lengthy statement began: ’23 years. That’s how long I have been a music manager.
’23 years ago a 19-year-old kid started managing an artist named Cato in Atlanta, GA and my journey began.
‘Along the way I have had so many experiences I could never have dreamt of.
‘But as my children got older, and my personal life took some hits, I came to the realisation that my kids were three superstars I wasn’t willing to lose.’
Scooter will focus on being a father first (Picture: AP)
Scooter discovered Justin on YouTube (Picture: Instagram / Scooter Braun)
After working ’24 hours a day, seven days a week’ he thinks now is the time to step away.
‘One of my biggest clients and friends told me that they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction,’ he later explained but did not name the influential person. He saw this as a sign and added ‘God has been pushing me in the direction for some time.’
Scooter reminisced on his career with photos (Picture: Instagram / Scooter Braun)
Scooter has done the job for 23 years (Picture: Instagram / Scooter Braun)
Scooter had a well-known feud with Taylor in 2019 after he bought her old Masters catalogue for a reported $330 million (£286 million).
A year later, he sold the rights to an investment fund in a deal believed to be north of $300million (£269million) – which Taylor claimed had happened without her knowledge.
The singer did not take this lying down, and in recent years has been re-recording her old hits to regain ownership, which are called Taylor’s Versions.
Taylor re-recorded her songs (Picture: Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
In a 2022 interview with NPR’s The Limits With Jay Williams, Scooter admitted he learnt lessons from the situation.
‘I learned an important lesson from that,’ he explained. ‘I think a lot of things got lost in translation. I think that when you have a conflict with someone, it’s very hard to resolve it if you’re not willing to have a conversation.
‘I didn’t appreciate how that all went down. I thought it was unfair. But I also understand, from the other side, they probably felt it was unfair, too.’
Demi, who signed with Scooter in 2019, was reportedly looking for new management in 2023. Ariana also reportedly split from the mogul around the same time after first signing with him in 2013. A source told People that Grande had ‘outgrown’ Scooter and was ‘excited to go in a different direction.’
Carly Rae Jepsen, BabyJake, and Asher Roth also confirmed they were no longer working with him.
At the time, he jokingly tweeted: ‘Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself.’ The social media post didn’t go down well with everyone.
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