Taylor Swift performs during her "Reputation Stadium Tour" opener in Glendale, Ariz. Photo / AP
Taylor Swift performs during her "Reputation Stadium Tour" opener in Glendale, Ariz. Photo / AP
Superstar Taylor Swift has taken the extraordinary step of publicly begging her fans for help in her ongoing business battle with music manager Scooter Braun.
In June this year, it was revealed that the boss of Swift's former record label Big Machine, Scott Borchetta, had sold the rights to hersix albums to Braun, best known as Justin Bieber's manager.
Swift slammed the move at the time — and months later, it seems the lucrative deal is still affecting her.
In a post she titled "Don't know what else to do," Swift wrote to her fans: "Guys – It's been announced recently that the American Music Awards will be honoring me with the Artist of the Decade Award at this year's ceremony. I've been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show.
"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."
"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.
"Scott Borchetta told my team that they'll allow me to use my music only if I do these things: 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," Swift continued.
"I feel very strongly that sharing what is happening to me could change the awareness level for other artists and potentially help them avoid a similar fate. The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you'll be punished.
Taylor Swift performs at Amazon Music's Prime Day concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Photo / AP
"This is WRONG," Swift wrote. "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. So this is where I'm asking for your help."
Swift finished the letter with a direct plea to her millions of fans.
"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.
"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. I'm especially asking for help from The Carlyle Group, who put up money for the sale of my music to these two men.
"I just want to be able to perform MY OWN music. That's it. I've tried to work this out privately through my team but have not been able to resolve anything. Right now my performance at the AMA's, the Netflix documentary and any other recorded events I am planning to play until November of 2020 are a question mark."
The American Music Awards are due to take place on November 25. If Swift does re-record her old music next year, she'll follow in the footsteps of artists like JoJo, who last year re-recorded her first two albums after years in record company limbo.
