Scooter Braun, one of the most recognizable names in the music business, says he will no longer work as a music manager. Braun, known for representing artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, announced the news Monday on his Instagram page. The executive and entrepreneur instead will focus his attention on his current roles: as a board member of Hybe, and CEO of Hybe America, the South Korea entertainment company.
The announcement comes nearly a year after Braun's direct management of his superstar roster was the subject of intense speculation, the AP reports.
- "After 23 years this chapter as a music manager has come to an end," he wrote in a lengthy statement. "I was really just 19 years old when I started. So for my entire adult life I played the role of an artist manager on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And for 20 years I loved it. It's all I had known. But as my children got older, and my personal life took some hits."
- In his statement, Braun mentioned a number of his clients from over the years: Grande, Bieber, Andrew Watt, Lil Dicky, Tori Kelly, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, Zac Brown Band, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Steve Angello, Carly Rae Jepsen, PSY, and Quavo among them.
- In August last year, rumors circulated online that Bieber was leaving Braun, his longtime manager and the man credited with discovering him. In the days that followed, media outlets began reporting that some of Braun's other high-profile clients like Grande and Lovato were also parting ways with him. There was speculation that Braun's artists were leaving SB Projects management because he was placing his focus on Hybe America instead of acting as an artist manager, but there was no official confirmation until Monday.
- In 2019, Braun bought Big Machine Records, the label that originally signed Taylor Swift and released her first six records. The purchase gave Braun ownership of Swift's master recordings, which he sold to an investment fund the following year. As a result, Swift, who accused Braun of "incessant, manipulative bullying," announced that she would rerecord her albums to own her new masters in a project called "Taylor's Version."
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