Taylor Swift‘s former record label has hit back at claims that she is being stopped from performing her own songs.
Big Machine Records, which was founded by Scott Borchetta and recently bought by Scooter Braun, say that they “do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere,” and instead claim their dispute is down to an unresolved payment issue.
They said in a statement: “As Taylor Swift’s partner for over a decade, we were shocked to see her Tumblr statements yesterday based on false information. At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs or block her Netflix special.
“In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere. Since Taylor’s decision to leave Big Machine last fall, we have continued to honor all of her requests to license her catalog to third parties as she promotes her current record in which we do not financially participate.”
Big Machine Label Group Statementhttps://t.co/bIdnx4GVbm
— Big Machine Label Group (@BigMachine) November 15, 2019
They went on to claim that Taylor’s “narrative of events” does not exist and accused the star of owing “millions to dollars” to their company.
“The truth is, Taylor has admitted to contractually owing millions of dollars and multiple assets to our company, which is responsible for 120 hardworking employees who helped build her career,” they wrote.
Recommended
“We have worked diligently to have a conversation about these matters with Taylor and her team to productively move forward. We started to see progress over the past two weeks and were optimistic as recently as yesterday that this may get resolved. However, despite our persistent efforts to find a private and mutually satisfactory solution, Taylor made a unilateral decision last night to enlist her fanbase in a calculated manner that greatly affects the safety of our employees and their families.
“Taylor, the narrative you have created does not exist. All we ask is to have a direct and honest conversation. When that happens, you will see there is nothing but respect, kindness and support waiting for you on the other side. ”
Big Machine Entertainment’s full statement reads
“As Taylor Swift’s partner for over a decade, we were shocked to see her Tumblr statements yesterday based on false information. At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs or block her Netflix special. In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere. Since Taylor’s decision to leave Big Machine last fall, we have continued to honor all of her requests to license her catalog to third parties as she promotes her current record in which we do not financially participate.
“The truth is, Taylor has admitted to contractually owing millions of dollars and multiple assets to our company, which is responsible for 120 hardworking employees who helped build her career. We have worked diligently to have a conversation about these matters with Taylor and her team to productively move forward. We started to see progress over the past two weeks and were optimistic as recently as yesterday that this may get resolved. However, despite our persistent efforts to find a private and mutually satisfactory solution, Taylor made a unilateral decision last night to enlist her fanbase in a calculated manner that greatly affects the safety of our employees and their families.
“Taylor, the narrative you have created does not exist. All we ask is to have a direct and honest conversation. When that happens, you will see there is nothing but respect, kindness and support waiting for you on the other side. To date, not one of the invitations to speak with us and work through this has been accepted. Rumors fester in the absence of communication. Let’s not have that continue here. We share the collective goal of giving your fans the entertainment they both want and deserve.”
It comes hours after fans launched a petition on Change.org, calling on Braun and Borchetta to back down.
The animosity between Swift and the two business partners dates back to June, when Braun purchased Borchetta’s Big Machine label as part of a $300 million deal which includes the ownership of her first six records – from her 2006 self-titled debut album through to 2017’s ‘Reputation’.
Swift accused music mogul Braun of “incessant manipulative bullying” and claimed she was “sad and grossed out” when it emerged that Braun controlled her master records, before he claimed that he had “no malicious intent” and “did everything aboard”.
In a bid to reclaim control of her music, Swift stated that she planned to re-record her songs from the first six records.
Defending his actions back in September, Braun said: “I don’t do anything with malicious intent. I try to do things above board. I try to do the right thing.
“Not everyone’s going to be happy with everything that you do, and I think in the long-term – I’ve learned this over time – the truth always comes out, and I’m confident in that.”