- Scooter Braun is a beloved manager in the music scene, with big names like Justin Bieber, letting him take the reigns on their careers.
- Scooter has famously had falling outs with superstars as well, most notably Taylor Swift, after he purchased her masters.
- Now, some of his biggest clients, like J Balvin and Demi Lovato, are dropping him, and there are rumors more stars are about to do the same!
- Carly Rae Jepsen, Asher Roth, and BabyJake have reportedly all stopped working with Scooter as their manager.
Scooter Braun, 42, has been one of the biggest managers and music executives in the entertainment biz. As the founder of Schoolboy Records and the holding company Ithaca Ventures, the talent manager has been one of the most influential figures in the music industry from behind the scenes. He’s also co-founded numerous other companies with tons of power in the music industry, like RBMG Records. He’s signed tons of artists who have gone on to be huge stars, namely Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and many more.
Despite the massive names on his roster, he has occasionally had pushback from some of the artists he represents. When Ithaca Ventures bought Big Machine Records, he also became the owner of Taylor Swift’s master recordings. Despite the “Shake It Off” singer’s efforts to buy back her masters, she was not able to and set out on the Taylor’s Version project where she re-recorded her first six records and has been re-releasing them. She’s also been very vocal about how upset she was to not own her masters. More recently, some of the biggest artists (including Ariana) that Scooter has been associated with have reportedly begun to drop him as their manager. As reports have come in about what exactly is going with his roster, a few more artists are reported to have stopped working with him, including Carly Rae Jepsen.
Find out more about why people have been dropping the music exec here!
Why Is Everyone Dropping Scooter Braun?
At the current moment, it’s unclear as to why so many people have been reported to drop Scooter all of a sudden. While there’s been much speculation that there may be some reason behind the scenes about the businessman, nothing has officially been revealed and most artists haven’t publicly announced that they’d be seeking new management. It’s possible that their contracts may simply be up.
With the news that artists have left his management, some fans have speculated that there may be some reason that will become illuminated in the future for the departures on Twitter. The recent news has spawned many memes, and, of course, countless references to Taylor’s music and her battle with Scooter.
In his first public statement seeming to address the rumors, Scooter did make light of the news by copying the meme format. He didn’t confirm or deny whether the rumors were true. “Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself,” he tweeted.
Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself
— Scott “Scooter” Braun (@scooterbraun) August 22, 2023
With all of the rumors, there has been much confusion about what exactly is going on with the company. A source close to the situation claimed that he’s working on a new role and denied rumors that Ariana and Justin were leaving, according to a report from Variety. “All of Scooter Braun’s clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO,” they said. “Scooter’s team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like.”
More sources had conflicting reports of what was going down, with one telling Variety that he was “imploding,” but another mentioning that he was leaving management. Still, nothing is entirely clear at this time. While no light has been shed on what exactly is happening behind the scenes, representatives for Carly Rae Jepsen, Asher Roth, and Babyjake all confirmed that he’s no longer working with them to The Associated Press.
While some have parted ways, Scooter still retains an impressive roster. He still manages Ashley Graham, Ava Max, The Blacked Eyed Peas, Calista Clark, Dan + Shay, David Guetta, Eden, Gunner Gehl, Hilary Duff, Jenna Raine, Justin Bieber, Kaliii, Kelly Rowland, The Kid LAROI, The Knocks, Lil Dicky, Ozuna, Paul Pogba, PSY, Push Baby, Quavo, Social House, The Spencer Lee Band, Steve Angello, The Scarlett Opera, Tori Kelly, The Wanted, Watt, and YG, per Newsweek.
Scooter Braun’s Clients
Justin Bieber
Justin is often credited as one of Scooter’s earliest successes. The executive is credited with “discovering” the “Peaches” popstar, when he found videos of Justin singing covers on YouTube. He flew him down to Atlanta to record demos, including songs with Usher, and the rest as they say is history. Justin has worked with Scooter throughout his career.
The “Baby” singer even responded to Taylor Swift, after she called out Scooter over buying her masters in 2019. He initially trolled her by sharing a since-deleted photo of him on a FaceTime call with the manager and Kanye West, writing “Taylor Swift what up?” After Taylor called him out, he apologized for sharing the “distasteful and insensitive” post, but he came to Scooter’s defense. “Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you! As the years have passed we haven’t crossed paths and gotten to communicate our differences, hurts or frustrations. So for you to take it to social media and get people to hate on scooter isn’t fair,” he wrote in part. “I’m sure Scooter and i would love to talk to you and resolve any conflict, pain or any feelings that need to be addressed.”
While there’s been speculation that Justin has dropped Scooter in more recent years, he seemingly has stuck by the manager. Justin reportedly sold his catalog to Hipgnosis Song Management for $200 million in January 2023, leading to some rumors about a falling out, but reps for both of them denied that Justin was dropping Scooter to E! News. Sources close to the singer revealed that they still had projects in the works, according to Entertainment Tonight. “Justin and Scooter are still working together. Justin is not taking meetings to look for new management,” they said. “The two recently worked on something together.”
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is the latest singer to part ways with Scooter. The “thank u, next” singer was signed to SB Projects in 2013 when she released her debut album Yours Truly. Puck reporter Matthew Beloni was the first to report the news on X (FKA Twitter) on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. Afterward, sources confirmed the news to Billboard, but Ariana and Scooter’s reps declined to comment.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato was signed by Scooter in 2019. The “29” singer even defended the manager as Taylor called him out in 2019. “I have dealt with bad people in the industry and Scooter is not one of them. He’s a good man. Personally, I’m grateful he came into my life when he did. Please stop ‘dragging’ people or bullying them. There’s enough hate in this world as it is,” they wrote in an Instagram Story, per People.
After four years with SB Projects, it was reported that Demi would be seeking new management. Sources explained that the decision was “mutual and amicable” to Variety. The decision came as the “Sober” singer announced their plans to re-record old songs in a new rock-inspired fashion for a project called Revamped.
J Balvin
Oasis rapper J Balvin first joined Scooter’s roster in 2019. Both the rapper and manager celebrated the signing with statements to Billboard at the time. “He is not only an incredible talent, but his work ethic and creativity are what has allowed him to be one of the top global acts in any language. He loves his culture and his energy is contagious. We are excited for this new adventure together,” Scooter said of the rapper. While not many details are known about the split, it was revealed that J Balvin had left the management firm in May 2023, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel signed with Scooter back in 2019. While details are scarce about the Broadway star’s departure, sources revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she was also making an exit. Other details have not yet been released.
Carly Rae Jepsen
After Carly’s breakout hit “Call Me Maybe” dropped in 2012, she signed with Scooter’s Schoolboy Records. The manager admitted that he sought her out after the song became a hit. “I said, ‘This is the best pop song I’ve heard in like 10 years,’ so I went on a rampage to track it down,” he told Billboard.
The “Boy Problems” singer has also reportedly split from Scooter. While it’s not clear when she cut ties, it was reported that Carly had not worked with Scooter “for quite some time” in The Associated Press report on Aug. 24, 2023. Her most recent album The Loveliest Time dropped on July 28, 2023.
Tori Kelly
Scooter signed “Should’ve Been Us” singer Tori Kelly in 2015. While he said that he told her that the average listener thought she was “boring,” he admitted that she was incredibly talented. “Tori is resilient. The next day she came to my house and said, ‘I wrote a song about what you said, and it’s called ‘Unbreakable Smile,'” he told Billboard.
The singer is still currently signed with Scooter and released her latest album, simply titled tori in July 2023. Ahead of the album’s release, Scooter raved about the record in March. “The Tori Kelly album I have always wished for is coming,” he tweeted.