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For a time, it seemed that everything Scooter Braun touched turned to gold. He had a deep roster of young talent that consistently put out top selling albums and No. 1 hits.
Public sentiment toward Scooter took a turn in in 2018 after his controversial acquisition of Taylor Swift's master recordings via his purchase of Big Machine Record Group. As Taylor had been at odds with Scooter for years, a war was waged, and the pop star eventually decided to re-record her albums to essentially prevent her arch nemesis from cashing in on her work (the music manager still did, however, as he reportedly sold her catalog to Shamrock for some $300 million.)
Although many of Scooter's clients and famous friends backed him, he was certainly viewed differently by Swift and her loyal fans.
Fast forward to today, and things are seemingly not going Scooter's way again, as high-profile clients have been reportedly been jumping ship. "He's imploding. It's a different world since the pandemic," one source told Variety, claiming Scooter rubs people the wrong way. However, a separate source said Scooter is simply deviating from his path. "He's getting out of management — he has been for years. That's the real story," a source said.
Scooter's musical squad once featured household names like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and more, but his roster is suddenly getting smaller (and quickly!). However, a source said the changes aren't so much an exodus as a restructuring.
"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," a source told Variety. "People are spreading rumors based on what they know, but they are off. Scooter's team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like."
Click through to see which stars have left Scooter, and who's rumored to be on the outs with the manager…
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Billboard reported on Aug. 22 that Ariana Grande had cut ties with Scooter Braun, who's been working as her music manager for 10 years. People magazine reported the same, with a source close to the situation telling the outlet, "They are friendly but she's outgrown him and is excited to go in a different direction. Yes there are negotiations happening because of contracts. But this is her choice. It's time for something new."
Ariana catapulted to fame during their business partnership, and Scooter helped the pop star navigate her career after 22 people died in 2018 during a terrorist bombing outside her concert in Manchester, England. He also helped organize the "One Love Manchester" charity concert within just two weeks.
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An Aug. 18 report from Puck claimed that Justin Bieber was looking for a new music manager and insisted he and Scooter Braun hadn't spoken in months. Sources denied the claim, but Puck is standing by its reporting.
On Aug. 22, People magazine further reported that according to its source, Justin is technically "still managed" by Scooter but they are estranged; multiple insiders said the men have not spoken in nearly a year.
"Justin's been working on his new record for the last six months. Scooter and SB Projects have not set up one session or done one thing for this [new] record," a source told People. "The relationship with Scooter has run its course."
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