Spilling the tea on Scooter Braun's dying empire and all his clients firing him... or did they?
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Joining the long list of people who have supposedly fired Scooter Braun, is me, Angela of Scandalous Media… at least that’s what some people would think considering it’s a well-known conspiracy that we’re supposedly on Scooter Braun’s payroll.
But not even a payroll could help the demise of Scooter’s empire as every other day there’s a new report of a client dropping Scooter.
Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself
— Scott “Scooter” Braun (@scooterbraun) August 22, 2023
However, the big 3 of Scooter’s clientele list is what drew the most attention on social media since they had the most personal relationship with him and came to his defense during the Taylor Swift Masters Saga.
And they are…
Justin Bieber (Scooter being his father figure)
Ariana Grande (Scooter being the cool uncle who got her unique opportunities but she lowkey hated)
Demi Lovato (Scooter being the manager who was supposed to lowkey be her Hollywood savior).
The Basics
Getty Images for Ithaca Holdings
What is currently public information is that Scooter is stepping back from his managerial role as he acquires the new position as CEO of HYBE America. In April 2021, Scooter sold Ithaca Holdings to HYBE — the company best known for creating the K-pop group BTS — in a $1.05 billion deal.
And in January 2023, Scooter became the sole CEO of Hybe America.
One thing Scooter is known for behind the scenes is his iron-clad contracts. Anyone who’s in the management and record label business has perfected the art of tying their artists in a unique contractual chokehold.
So even on the outside, it seems like Scooter is no longer managing anyone, and that is true on a basic level, but he has his clients (or former clients) under contracts where he’s still getting money from them.
It’s not exactly a “scam” considering when you sign with record labels and managers, there are long-term stipulations where a manager can benefit from an artist’s income/success years after they parted ways because they were integral in creating the product aka the artist.
It’s why record labels have a lot of leeway with an artists masters.
It’s also about investments… which is why many of Scooter’s clients made millions in shares from HYBE.
Mastermind Taylor
I know Taylor Swift fried all your brains with the masters drama so I’m not even gonna go into that now, just know that she’s smarter than all of you and is playing you all like a fiddle. Scooter is the same fckin way.
Yall think Taylor got “revenge” on Scooter and Scooter is crying in a corner, meanwhile that psycho is cashing in millions on every client he worked with, regardless if he’s managing them now or not.
There’s word that he’s on his way to becoming a billionaire, and meanwhile there are a lot of puff pieces surrounding that word, Scooter is definitely a lot richer than you may think; sometimes even richer than his more-famous clients.
And in some sort of sick & twisted way, Taylor and Scooter function in the same business way. It’s like looking into a mirror and seeing the shark you hate so much because it reminds you of… well, you.
I’m talking about Taylor in this portion of the post because she’s an integral part of how Scooter’s empire rose/fell (however you look at it) and it also has to do with his clients dropping him.
But going back to the masters saga…
evil genius i swear sdkhskjkadjlksjd
Taylor lied a lot about the masters drama and she personally chose the route that would make her iconic and have her stand out. Her father literally made $15.1 million from her masters being sold but she has somehow tricked everyone into thinking that her ass was blindsided by the deal. And there are a lot of excuses of “oh he didn’t know, she didn’t know,” as if $15.1 million is a number to get blindsided by.
No, she just chose a different deal. One where she can make even more money and feed her ego at the same time… recreating her albums and embarking on something as massive as the Eras tour. It’s almost as if she told you guys she’s a mastermind.
My source said, “I heard previously from a well known source in Taylor’s camp that the idea of her embarking on an Eras concept was something she wanted to do a long time ago. Way before the masters drama. It was something that came to her in passing but nothing was solidified. Kind of like a Greatest Hits era, but less boring. Apparently, she was going to do something like that before the Reputation era but then everything that happened with Kanye and Kim went down and she felt like it was too soon.
Lyrics from Taylor’s “Mastermind”
I’m not sure if rerecording her music was going to be part of the Eras concept she once thought about, or there was talk about a live album from the Eras concept, but she definitely had the choice to buy back her masters. I stand by my word when I first told you the information years ago.
She chose the route of rerecording her albums because it made sense and gave her a way to bring her Eras concept to life. The Eras concept didn’t come to life because of the masters sale and her being “forced” to re-record her albums, but rather it was something that made her idea come to life. And she knew she could make it work especially when the public came running to her favor during the Scooter drama.”
An icon fr. / AP Photos
Some even theorized that Taylor was hitting a creative block and didn’t know what to do next so rerecording her albums and getting inspired all over again while making like a billion dollars off of OLD MUSIC, was another plus in this plan.
It’s like when Hollywood breaks a final movie into two parts (ex: Wicked part one, Wicked part two) to make more money. Now there are two albums for each era.
My source also tells me that Taylor plans on buying back her masters eventually… that was always the plan. Taylor just likes to take the more creative route.
I don’t know about you guys, but that was shocking information. I never knew that she conceptualized an Eras era before the sale.
So that’s the Taylor arm of the drama. Let’s get into the plot twist that no one saw coming mainly because there’s nothing Team Bieber prioritized than their family bonds.
Btw: I’ve been forcing myself to listen to Midnights. I’m forcing myself to like it so I can enjoy it like everyone apparently is… I’ll update you on how the forcing is working.
Justin & Scooter’s fallout
Gather round kids… for a tale that’s kinda sad.
Anyone who has kept up with Justin and Scooter knows that Scooter is a father figure to Justin.
Justin needed someone to take the role of his father since his actual dad, Jeremy Bieber, was a deadbeat father to Justin, but somehow the most amazing father to all the kids that came afterward… thanks to the Bieber money.
Justin and Scooter have had a lot of drama over the years because of the fact that their personal relationship was often included in their professional relationship.
There were times were Scooter did have Justin’s best interests at heart, such as not making him tour during the Journals era considering he was suicidal and on drugs half of the time. These are all things we told you in real-time nearly 10 years ago, that got confirmed years later, so you’re more than welcome to check out the old classics on this blog.
I’ll be honest though… never did I think I’d see a day where Justin & Scooter break up or Justin explores new management like the streets are saying. Then again, I should have expected it because it was a relationship that they kept around just for old times.
Justin and Scooter are like those besties from high school that you outgrew but kept around just because you knew each other for so long… However, the relationship stopped being beneficial or enjoyable for both sides.
Back in 2013/14, Justin and Scooter would FIGHT a lot. But it was more like an older brother trying to scold his younger brother. There were times when they would go long periods of time not speaking.
Of course, Scooter isn’t the only one on his team… matter of a fact, he’s just a name, backed up by a group of people.
Scooter has a whole team working for him to manage artists. This is why there were many reports saying that even though Scooter may not be managing them directly, they’re still under his contracts.
Peter Yang for Variety
This is true for Justin. As far as I know, he was never on the verge of a contract expiring and looking to sign a new one, but rather still being in the middle of his contract with Scooter, his label, the devil, & idk who else. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. After all, I’m not talking about Doja Cat.
Rumors about Justin trying to leave Scooter and hiring lawyers to get out of his contract are true.
When I asked my source about the recent Justin & Scooter drama, she said, “I know from years back, Justin and Scooter weren’t as close because Justin wasn’t taking any of his advice and Scooter was watching him from a distance.”
“Now it seems like Scooter is being crucified as a person! I wonder where this is all going to go.”
A big fallout between Justin and Scooter was the Justice tour. Justin made a lot of promises he could not keep and in turn, many people trusted him and invested in him.
When he canceled the tour because he was sick and just mentally over the tour, it upset a lot of people and caused a lot of complications.
Justin also felt like Scooter was overworking him and not being the understanding figure he was to Bizzle (2013/14 JB). Scooter felt like Justin was a baby who couldn’t grow up.
Joe Pugliese
I believe the Justice tour was the last straw in their already fading relationship.
I can’t predict the future, but I highly doubt Justin and Scooter would publicly feud. Even if Justin successfully leaves SB Projects like his colleagues, I believe there will still be mutual respect in the field. However, they can definitely surprise me with their hostility.
For now, they are holding onto their word that Justin is still with Scooter.
What’s the takeaway from this section?
Justin and Scooter’s relationship was already frail and on its last legs.
Also, I don’t think it’s that deep that Justin wants to successfully escape from Scooter’s label and contracts because, for a long time, I felt like Scooter was outdated as a manager especially as he started creeping into more business roles.
Scooter went from genuinely enjoying managing new talent to wanting to be a name behind a group that manages that talent.
Ariana & Scooter’s passive relationship
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
Ariana leaving Scooter as it was fully confirmed by TMZ as I’m finalizing this post, was something that we saw coming and I even told you guys that was going to happen.
Ariana was supposed to leave Scooter in the fall of 2022, but that didn’t pan out completely. It was just put on the back burner, but fans thought it was something that wasn’t going to happen when they publicly reunited for cute pictures in May 2023…
That is not true.
Ariana is like a sneaky mouse that will smile to your face and plot to take you down behind the scenes.
In July 2021, we exposed a lot of tea about Scooter & Ariana’s relationship—tea that just got confirmed.
Ariana has been wanting and threatening to drop Scooter after hiring him back, since 2021.
I suspect that that phase is where Justin Bieber currently resides.
Go check out that post because I explain a lot, I talk about their dynamic, how Scooter favors Ariana while she basically spits on him, and I go over the time Ariana fired Scooter in 2016, which we also exposed first.
In an excerpt from that post, I wrote:
She backtracked on her decision to fire Scooter in 2021, but that’s when the beginning of the end started. Scooter wanted to be in her good graces since she’s a huge money maker for him and ultimately, that’s what Scooter cares about.
I wrote, “So whenever I think about Ariana and Scooter’s relationship, I picture a dog yearning for his master’s love and his master just being negligent.”
There’s not much to Scooter and Ariana’s dynamic, besides Ariana wanting to do what’s best for her and exploring new options to take herself to the next level. She didn’t want to be in this little bubble of “Scooter’s clients <3,” but rather wanted to reach icon status whether that is Taylor Swift or Beyonce.
I’m intrigued to find out how she’s gonna do that with her serial cheating.
One thing that played a huge role in the decision of whether Scooter’s clients wanted to drop him or not; was Scooter’s reputation.
Ah, Taylor you devil, you truly do get the last laugh.
Taylor lyrics from Karma
Ariana, Justin, Demi, and many other clients, hate the fact that they’re being managed by a manager who has a bad reputation and how Scooter’s “wrongdoings” get reflected badly on them.
You think Ariana and Justin enjoyed being caught in the middle of his war with Taylor? Hell no! And it has nothing to do with what’s right or wrong, it has to do with the fact that Taylor won in the public eye (approval-wise) and Ariana & Justin got hate for something they had nothing to do with.
“Why the fck am I being penalized for his sh!t?” —[redacted] about Scooter 🤭
So that’s all for Ariana and Scooter, Ariana was a fuze waiting to explode on Scooter and eventually, she got out.
Check out our video on that for more tea!
“Will she fire him again?” oh yeah.
Demi & Scooter’s short lived relationship
kinda sad they didn’t work out smh
Nothing explains Demi more than her taking bullets for someone she just met.
She was ready to get all hot and heated about Scooter during the masters drama meanwhile Scooter had to go kiss Ariana’s ass and ask if she approves of him signing Demi. Ah Demetria, it’s not your fault you’re such a sweetheart.
As far as I’m aware, Demi and Scooter’s partnership fizzled out because they weren’t compatible. Scooter put more energy into his other artists and he wasn’t happy with how the DWTD era got scrapped and how Demi jumped into rock after being a pop princess.
A lot of energy goes into marketing and selling an era and the fact that Demi curated herself beautifully as this pop princess and then BAM…
I know the girl that you adored
She's dead, it's time to fucking mourn
I can't spoon-feed you anymore
fire album, fire lyrics, fire concept… just executed at the wrong time… aka the story of demi’s life. omg executed at the wrong time would slap as an album title, no? or maybe im just tired of editing this post
… as iconic as it was… from a marketing perspective; it wasn’t the right move in terms of how to maximize success and money.
You can’t build up an image and then tear it down yourself.
So Demi wanted one thing and Scooter wanted the other… Ultimately, they disagreed and Scooter wasn’t of use to help her out in the route she wanted. He’s known for managing trending artists in pop culture, not rock.
And Demi wanted a more suitable partnership which is questionable on her behalf, because she might go back to pop when she feels like it… so girl… did you really switch everything for something that may be temporary?
However, she moved from United Talent Agency (UTA) to Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In terms of teams, managers, and etc., that all hasn’t been announced, but everything is in talks right now to be finalized ahead of the release of Revamped.
this photo is incredible like omg // Angelo Kritikos
Btw, it’s not that I don’t love rock-Demi. OG veterans know that I’m more of a rock girlie than a pop one, I’m talking in terms of HOW TO MAXMIZE SUCESS & MONEY… that’s how Hollywood looks at it as.
So the jump from pop princess DWTD to rock-vocalist-who-tf-cares-about-your-opinion; wasn’t done at the best time.
This doesn’t take away from how incredible both eras were, but as you can see with Demi’s decline in success, it wasn’t the best way to get the general public on board.
she’s serving looks i have to say
She didn’t make as much money as Scooter wanted so he had no problem letting her go. And for Demi, she doesn’t care about making money and being #1, because if she did, she knows the formula for that.
Revamped is a very cool concept though. It sucks that no one outside her fanbase knows it’s happening. Also, these photoshoots eattttt ugh
Is Scooter evil?
With the amount of hate Scooter gets, you’d think he was on trial for murder.
Graeme Mitchell for WSJ. Magazine
So I asked my source, “is this man evil or what?”
She said, “I know Scooter is all about his business. He’s like “evil” in the sense of capitalism and doing whatever to build his wealth."
“As a person, he’s no different than the rest of these celebrities. I honestly never heard anything striking about Scooter.”
A lot of people were theorizing that some serious allegations were about to be released about Scooter following the whole world dropping him… but tbh, unless he’s secretly involved in human trafficking, I don’t see him as any different than any of these celebrity personas who will do anything to build their wealth, as my source said.
Also, Scooter is the “source” behind all the media sites claiming Justin & Ariana aren’t dropping him. He’s just trying to save face.
He’s very social media savvy and likable, but stan twitter currently hates him.
After TMZ breaks the news of Ariana officially leaving Scooter’s company, he takes to Twitter to joke about the blue moon…
In the middle of all the reports of him being dropped, he tweets the following:
he kinda funny ngl
And who knows, Justin and Scooter may work out their issues and still be friendly even if they don’t work together, it’s all up in the air.
One of my sources says that Scooter is planning to take his public reputation 1 of 2 ways:
Coming out with a piece about his business endeavors and how he’s the CEO of HYBE, so he had left the managing business before he could be “left” or…
Ignoring it all and continuing to invest/manage artists and make millions
Also, a lot of things are currently happening and nothing is fully finalized which is why the media is being dragged from one side to the other. It’s why the news broke out like this:
Ariana dropped Scooter
Demi dropped Scooter
Justin dropped Scooter
No Ariana didn’t drop Scooter
Yes Demi dropped Scooter
No Justin didn’t drop Scooter
Yes Ariana dropped Scooter
Justin is talking to lawyers to get out of Scooter’s contract
A LOT is happening behind the scenes and I hope I was able to take you through it.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Let me know what you think in the comments, and feel free to add some additional insight!
It feels good to be back!
Check out the schedule here.
Emily gif for old times… iykyk
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