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- Scooter Braun is one of the music industry's biggest managers.
- There have recently been conflicting reports about which artists have left management under Braun.
- His former clients reportedly include Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Carly Rae Jepsen.
Scooter Braun is one of the most well-known managers in the music industry. He established the entertainment company SB Projects in 2007; the company's past and present signees include Ariana Grande, Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West (briefly), Demi Lovato, J Balvin, Justin Bieber, Lil Dicky and other big artists, according to their website.
Early in his career as a manager, Braun signed Bieber in 2007 after discovering him on YouTube. In 2023, Braun became the CEO of HYBE America; HYBE is a multinational entertainment company based in South Korea.
According to Vulture, Braun has been stepping down from the day-to-day responsibility of SB Projects to focus more on his role at HYBE.
Music managers oversee an artist's projects and coordinate different teams that do work for artists. They can be an important factor in an artist's success.
Braun has recently been embroiled in controversy, with conflicting reports of emerging artists leaving his management.
When this year's controversy around Braun started to intensify, the manager made light of the situation. He went on X, formerly known as Twitter and posted: "Breaking news… I'm no longer managing myself."
Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself
— Scott “Scooter” Braun (@scooterbraun) August 22, 2023
Braun has previously been the subject of backlash due to a feud with Taylor Swift. He became the owner of Swift's master recordings during a larger label acquisition.
Braun then sold her masters to another company for $405 million. Master recordings are the original recording of songs that companies can license to use on their platforms for streaming.
Swift's masters were kept by Big Machine after her contract with them ended in 2018. This meant they kept the future profits of the records she recorded with them.
Big Machine Records was eventually sold to Scooter Braun, with the masters included, for $300 million. Swift took issue with this because she was not informed of the acquisition.
Swift losing the masters to her early records prompted her to re-record her albums to earn profits from them.
Swift wrote about her frustration on Tumblr in 2019:
READ MORE | Unpacking the Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun drama: This is how things got here
There have been rumours and reports of some of the industry's biggest artists leaving Braun.
Justin Bieber
Rumours had circulated that Bieber and Braun had not spoken in months, but recently, it was reported that Bieber is still signed to Braun until 2027, per Billboard. Their future together is uncertain, and Bieber may look for new management options or continue to work with Braun for the foreseeable future.
Demi Lovato
Earlier this month, Billboard reported that the American pop singer Demi Lovato parted ways with Braun after reaching a mutual agreement.
Lovato originally signed with Braun in 2019. Their split was reportedly amicable, and the two are still on good personal terms.
Ariana Grande
There have been reports that pop star Ariana Grande left Braun's management. Her exit was reported on 21 August by The Wrap. Braun started managing her in 2013; they subsequently split and reunited in 2016. Apparently, Grande has fired and rehired Braun in other instances, too, according to Vulture.
Her exit was confirmed to People earlier this month, a source telling the publication, "They are friendly, but she's outgrown him and is excited to go in a different direction."
Carly Rae Jepsen
AP reported that the Call Me Maybe singer exited Braun's management, with the two not working with each other for quite some time. Around the same time her departure was reported, it came to light that two other artists also left Braun: BabyJake and Asher Roth. Roth is an American rapper known for his single I Love College, while BabyJake is an upcoming musician.
J Balvin
The Reggaetón and pop artist J Balvin started working with Braun in 2019 and stopped working with him in May 2023. The artist signed with Jay Z's Roc Nation shortly after.
Idina Menzel
The American singer and actor Idina Menzel is known for her roles in Uncut Gems and Rent (the stage production and film). Menzel started working with Braun in 2019 and left his management in January 2023, according to Billboard.
