1 00:00:02,743 --> 00:00:03,743 [indistinct conversation] 2 00:00:05,873 --> 00:00:06,773 [cheers] 3 00:00:06,773 --> 00:00:08,313 We love you, Taylor! 4 00:00:08,313 --> 00:00:12,843 Taylor Swift is really unique in that she is the first musician 5 00:00:12,843 --> 00:00:15,913 to become a billionaire just solely through music. 6 00:00:15,913 --> 00:00:17,213 Yes! 7 00:00:17,213 --> 00:00:19,773 I don't think it's an overestimation to say 8 00:00:19,773 --> 00:00:23,643 that Taylor Swift is the most impactful songwriter of her generation. 9 00:00:28,913 --> 00:00:30,173 [paparazzi] Scott, right here. 10 00:00:30,173 --> 00:00:31,873 [Mikael Wood] Scott Borchetta, who signed her to Big Machine, 11 00:00:31,873 --> 00:00:33,373 he sold the label, 12 00:00:33,373 --> 00:00:35,843 and with it her masters of her early work, 13 00:00:35,843 --> 00:00:39,673 to Scooter Braun, a very high profile manager, 14 00:00:39,673 --> 00:00:41,443 who managed at various points 15 00:00:41,443 --> 00:00:43,643 Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande 16 00:00:43,643 --> 00:00:46,373 and, of course, most importantly, Kanye West 17 00:00:46,373 --> 00:00:50,213 who Taylor had long viewed as an antagonizer of hers. 18 00:00:50,213 --> 00:00:52,213 [Zing Tsjeng] This was a huge deal for her 19 00:00:52,213 --> 00:00:54,643 I think psychologically and emotionally, 20 00:00:54,643 --> 00:00:57,713 turning this contractual boardroom fight 21 00:00:57,713 --> 00:00:59,373 into something much bigger, 22 00:00:59,373 --> 00:01:02,043 which is about feminism, it's about women's rights. 23 00:01:06,543 --> 00:01:08,543 [Anna Silman]This was a battle of titans. 24 00:01:08,543 --> 00:01:10,543 It wasn't David versus Goliath. 25 00:01:10,543 --> 00:01:12,943 It was Goliath versus Goliath. 26 00:01:12,943 --> 00:01:14,643 [fans cheering] 27 00:01:16,143 --> 00:01:20,513 Taylor is very down to earth, very genuine, very real. 28 00:01:20,513 --> 00:01:23,613 [Zack Hourihane]To have this collection of moments and stories 29 00:01:23,613 --> 00:01:25,773 taken away from her and sold without her knowledge 30 00:01:25,773 --> 00:01:28,043 was truly like a gut punch for her fans. 31 00:01:28,043 --> 00:01:32,213 She knew Scooter expected her to sit down and shut up and be a good girl, 32 00:01:32,213 --> 00:01:33,913 and she wasn't going to take it that way. 33 00:01:36,543 --> 00:01:39,673 [woman 1] I do not see that he did anything wrong. 34 00:01:39,673 --> 00:01:42,772 He paid for his rights fair and square. 35 00:01:42,772 --> 00:01:44,943 [man] The truth didn't matter. 36 00:01:44,943 --> 00:01:47,873 She had the ability to rally her fans. 37 00:01:47,873 --> 00:01:49,743 [woman 2] She literally called on her fans 38 00:01:49,743 --> 00:01:52,443 to apply pressure on Scooter. 39 00:01:52,443 --> 00:01:54,513 Did you maybe stop and think about what it means 40 00:01:54,513 --> 00:01:57,043 when you activate your fans against someone? 41 00:01:59,713 --> 00:02:02,443 [Silman] We're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. 42 00:02:02,443 --> 00:02:06,673 We're talking about the catalog of one of the most beloved artists in the world. 43 00:02:07,273 --> 00:02:08,573 There was a lot at stake. 44 00:02:09,413 --> 00:02:11,743 ♪ I tell my soul ♪ 45 00:02:11,743 --> 00:02:13,843 ♪ Only love forgives ♪ 46 00:02:13,843 --> 00:02:15,743 ♪ Only love forgives ♪ 47 00:02:15,743 --> 00:02:18,273 ♪ Tell my soul ♪ 48 00:02:18,273 --> 00:02:20,213 ♪ Only love forgives ♪ 49 00:02:20,213 --> 00:02:23,113 ♪ Only love forgives ♪ 50 00:02:23,113 --> 00:02:26,073 ♪ I've been through flame And fire ♪ 51 00:02:26,073 --> 00:02:28,473 ♪ It's got me In a devil's noose ♪ 52 00:02:28,473 --> 00:02:30,443 ♪ I tell my soul ♪ 53 00:02:30,443 --> 00:02:33,173 ♪ My soul ♪ 54 00:02:33,173 --> 00:02:37,643 ♪ Only love Only love forgives ♪ 55 00:02:40,543 --> 00:02:42,443 [keyboard clacking] 56 00:02:47,913 --> 00:02:49,872 -[man 1] Taylor! Taylor! -[man 2] Taylor. 57 00:02:49,872 --> 00:02:52,213 [chants] Taylor! Taylor! 58 00:02:52,213 --> 00:02:56,043 [Wood] It's 2019 Billboard Women In Music event. 59 00:02:56,043 --> 00:02:59,073 An industry crowd, insiders, 60 00:02:59,073 --> 00:03:02,613 and Taylor is giving a speech and says, 61 00:03:02,613 --> 00:03:06,213 "My music was sold out from underneath me..." 62 00:03:06,213 --> 00:03:10,313 After I was denied the chance to purchase my music outright. 63 00:03:10,313 --> 00:03:14,173 My entire catalog was sold to Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings. 64 00:03:14,173 --> 00:03:17,343 None of these investors have ever bothered 65 00:03:17,343 --> 00:03:19,843 to contact me or my team directly 66 00:03:21,013 --> 00:03:23,473 to perform their due diligence on their investment... 67 00:03:24,573 --> 00:03:27,043 On their investment in me. 68 00:03:27,043 --> 00:03:29,372 [Tsjeng] She seems genuinely in crisis. 69 00:03:29,372 --> 00:03:30,643 She's upset. 70 00:03:30,643 --> 00:03:35,473 You can tell that she is in kind of freefall about this. 71 00:03:35,473 --> 00:03:37,872 [Wood] The fact that someone's bought my catalog 72 00:03:37,872 --> 00:03:39,643 without letting me know... 73 00:03:39,643 --> 00:03:40,813 This isn't right. 74 00:03:40,813 --> 00:03:42,513 This isn't the way it should be done. 75 00:03:42,513 --> 00:03:45,213 [Tsjeng] Taylor was very good at turning something 76 00:03:45,213 --> 00:03:50,313 that, to most people, is a really incomprehensible, unrelatable situation 77 00:03:50,313 --> 00:03:52,843 in which you are fighting a boardroom, 78 00:03:52,843 --> 00:03:54,913 you are fighting a music label, 79 00:03:54,913 --> 00:03:57,773 and turning it into something really understandable, 80 00:03:57,773 --> 00:03:59,573 which is, "I've made the songs. 81 00:03:59,573 --> 00:04:02,213 I've created them. I've written them. I've sung them. 82 00:04:02,213 --> 00:04:03,643 I deserve to own it." 83 00:04:03,643 --> 00:04:05,443 -[cameras flashing] -[paparazzi 1] Taylor, over the shoulder! 84 00:04:05,443 --> 00:04:07,873 [Tsjeng] This became very much a public dispute 85 00:04:07,873 --> 00:04:11,673 and what is considered a kind of Scooter versus Taylor field, 86 00:04:11,673 --> 00:04:13,673 it really goes all the way back. 87 00:04:13,673 --> 00:04:16,213 It actually has a lot to do with Kanye West. 88 00:04:16,942 --> 00:04:17,942 [paparazzi 2] You look wonderful. 89 00:04:17,942 --> 00:04:19,572 [paparazzi 1] Over the shoulder, Taylor! 90 00:04:24,543 --> 00:04:26,013 -[indistinct conversation] -[fans cheering] 91 00:04:28,843 --> 00:04:32,943 In 2009, Taylor is making 92 00:04:32,943 --> 00:04:35,513 She was so young and, you know, she's 19 93 00:04:35,513 --> 00:04:38,173 and she's up against people like Beyoncé, 94 00:04:38,173 --> 00:04:40,513 who has the song Single Ladies, 95 00:04:40,513 --> 00:04:43,213 which is one of the biggest songs of that year. 96 00:04:43,213 --> 00:04:45,643 I mean, you know, when you're a teenage artist 97 00:04:45,643 --> 00:04:48,513 who's crossing over, especially from country to pop music, 98 00:04:48,513 --> 00:04:50,443 this is a massive deal. 99 00:04:50,443 --> 00:04:53,213 Yeah, it feels awesome anytime I'm on the same list, 100 00:04:53,213 --> 00:04:55,443 as people like Britney Spears and Beyoncé. 101 00:04:55,443 --> 00:04:57,773 It's like, I can't even believe that. 102 00:04:57,773 --> 00:04:59,673 I can't believe that I get to be at the VMAs 103 00:04:59,673 --> 00:05:01,243 and perform and be nominated. 104 00:05:01,243 --> 00:05:02,713 It's a wonderful night. 105 00:05:05,213 --> 00:05:09,313 So when Taylor goes up to accept the award for best female music video... 106 00:05:09,313 --> 00:05:13,443 Thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA award. I-- 107 00:05:13,443 --> 00:05:16,573 Kanye West comes on stage, interrupts her. 108 00:05:16,573 --> 00:05:18,113 -Yo, Taylor. -[audience cheering] 109 00:05:19,513 --> 00:05:21,843 I'm really happy for you. Imma let you finish. 110 00:05:21,843 --> 00:05:24,413 But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. 111 00:05:27,873 --> 00:05:29,443 One of the best videos of all time. 112 00:05:31,113 --> 00:05:32,673 [Brittany Spanos]Taylor would talk about this later, 113 00:05:32,673 --> 00:05:35,473 about how, after the VMA experience, 114 00:05:35,473 --> 00:05:37,443 she was, of course, a Kanye West fan. 115 00:05:37,443 --> 00:05:40,513 I was really excited because I had just won the award 116 00:05:40,513 --> 00:05:43,443 and then I was really excited because Kanye West was on the stage. 117 00:05:43,813 --> 00:05:45,673 And then I-- 118 00:05:45,673 --> 00:05:49,043 Then I wasn't so excited anymore after that. 119 00:05:49,043 --> 00:05:50,373 [male reporter] So were you a fan before? 120 00:05:51,913 --> 00:05:55,673 Yeah, it's Kanye West. 121 00:05:55,673 --> 00:05:58,313 [Spanos] It makes sense that there is this extra level of, 122 00:05:58,313 --> 00:06:02,513 "Oh no, a hero of mine doesn't think I deserve this award." 123 00:06:04,713 --> 00:06:06,413 [Wood] You know, she's a very young woman at the time. 124 00:06:06,413 --> 00:06:10,973 She viewed it as a real violation of her... 125 00:06:10,973 --> 00:06:13,273 Moment in the spotlight, for sure, 126 00:06:13,273 --> 00:06:16,843 but also of her artistic authority. 127 00:06:16,843 --> 00:06:19,543 Here she was, she had been chosen to win. 128 00:06:19,543 --> 00:06:22,673 And here was someone saying that If you didn't deserve it, somebody else did it. 129 00:06:22,673 --> 00:06:25,043 So I think right from the beginning 130 00:06:25,043 --> 00:06:31,913 it's sort of framing this as Kanye diminishing Taylor as an artist. 131 00:06:31,913 --> 00:06:34,543 [paparazzi] Kanye, over here, please. 132 00:06:36,113 --> 00:06:38,773 [Spanos] Taylor hosted SNL the week after. 133 00:06:38,773 --> 00:06:44,243 [singing] You might be expecting me to say something bad about Kanye... 134 00:06:44,243 --> 00:06:45,643 [audience laughing] 135 00:06:45,643 --> 00:06:48,243 ...and how he ran up on the stage 136 00:06:48,243 --> 00:06:51,173 and ruined my VMA monologue. 137 00:06:52,813 --> 00:06:55,143 [heavy sigh] 138 00:06:55,143 --> 00:06:57,643 [continues singing] But there's nothing more to say 139 00:06:57,643 --> 00:06:59,143 'cause everything's okay. 140 00:06:59,143 --> 00:07:02,373 I've got security lining the stage. 141 00:07:03,413 --> 00:07:05,013 [Spanos]She had a great moment 142 00:07:05,013 --> 00:07:08,273 where she's made a joke about it in her monologue that she wrote herself 143 00:07:08,273 --> 00:07:10,573 and nipped the whole thing in the bud, 144 00:07:10,573 --> 00:07:14,173 and Taylor moved on quickly from the drama around that night 145 00:07:14,173 --> 00:07:15,873 and just went back to work and touring. 146 00:07:22,973 --> 00:07:28,273 One of the things that made Taylor different from almost anybody else 147 00:07:28,273 --> 00:07:31,773 that American pop culture had ever seen 148 00:07:31,773 --> 00:07:38,013 is that she was initially a teenager making music 149 00:07:38,013 --> 00:07:40,043 really for people her own age. 150 00:07:40,043 --> 00:07:45,613 And there have been very few teenage stars 151 00:07:45,613 --> 00:07:51,443 up until Taylor that managed to grow 152 00:07:51,443 --> 00:07:55,143 that level of success into adulthood. 153 00:07:59,573 --> 00:08:02,413 I first met Taylor because we got seated 154 00:08:02,413 --> 00:08:05,373 next to each other at an industry dinner 155 00:08:05,373 --> 00:08:09,543 right after she had signed her record deal with Big Machine. 156 00:08:10,773 --> 00:08:15,973 Coming into music row, Big Machine is right here. 157 00:08:15,973 --> 00:08:20,043 That was the building that Taylor Swift and Scott Borchetta built. 158 00:08:21,943 --> 00:08:26,243 [Wood] So Big Machine is a label in Nashville started by Scott Borchetta, 159 00:08:26,243 --> 00:08:29,973 and Taylor is one of his earliest acts that he signs. 160 00:08:29,973 --> 00:08:34,413 I think he recognizes that this is a special talent, 161 00:08:34,413 --> 00:08:35,873 maybe a generational talent. 162 00:08:35,873 --> 00:08:40,113 And Taylor's success, not surprisingly, attracts lots of artists. 163 00:08:40,113 --> 00:08:45,573 And the label is a success, and Borchetta benefits greatly from that success. 164 00:08:45,573 --> 00:08:47,543 It occurs to me how lucky I am actually. 165 00:08:47,543 --> 00:08:50,913 I get so excited about it and I wake up with a smile on my face, 166 00:08:50,913 --> 00:08:53,213 and honestly never thought I'd get to do this stuff. 167 00:08:54,513 --> 00:08:55,913 [on recording]I never told you this before. 168 00:08:55,913 --> 00:08:59,973 You have a very "easy to talk to" stance, 169 00:08:59,973 --> 00:09:01,843 and I don't think it's anything you know you're doing. 170 00:09:01,843 --> 00:09:04,113 -[Scott Borchetta] Yeah. -[Taylor Swift] But it's like, it's just like, really chill 171 00:09:04,113 --> 00:09:05,613 -and like, we're just talking. - [Borchetta] Oh good. 172 00:09:05,613 --> 00:09:08,143 -Well, that's what I'm going for. So... - [Swift] Yeah. 173 00:09:08,143 --> 00:09:12,913 15-year-old Taylor was very friendly 174 00:09:12,913 --> 00:09:15,473 and very determined. 175 00:09:15,473 --> 00:09:17,113 She knew how to talk to people, 176 00:09:17,113 --> 00:09:19,473 she knew how to connect with people. 177 00:09:19,473 --> 00:09:22,013 She took songwriting seriously. 178 00:09:22,013 --> 00:09:25,273 She wanted to put in the work of learning to write songs 179 00:09:25,273 --> 00:09:28,943 before she put in the work of learning to be famous. 180 00:09:28,943 --> 00:09:31,943 Taylor continued to grow with her audience, 181 00:09:31,943 --> 00:09:35,373 but also she began to add people 182 00:09:35,373 --> 00:09:38,343 that didn't pay any attention to her when she was a teenager. 183 00:09:38,343 --> 00:09:42,113 And so she not only made that successful transition 184 00:09:42,113 --> 00:09:47,413 from teen pop star into major adult music star, 185 00:09:47,413 --> 00:09:49,473 she actually got bigger. 186 00:09:49,473 --> 00:09:50,843 [woman] Do you need help with those? 187 00:09:50,843 --> 00:09:53,643 No, I'm going to carry them as long as they'll let me have them. 188 00:09:53,643 --> 00:09:56,573 She found a way to connect with people 189 00:09:56,573 --> 00:09:59,013 who were just beginning to hear her music 190 00:09:59,013 --> 00:10:01,973 and turned them into fans 191 00:10:01,973 --> 00:10:04,143 that felt like they were friends. 192 00:10:05,943 --> 00:10:07,713 [Hourihane] Taylor Swift is the world's best friend. 193 00:10:07,713 --> 00:10:09,113 She's really good at bridging the gap 194 00:10:09,113 --> 00:10:12,243 between I am a famous person and this is my music. 195 00:10:12,243 --> 00:10:15,013 This is my prized Taylor Swift merch collection. 196 00:10:15,013 --> 00:10:18,043 This is a collector's item that I got in 2012. 197 00:10:18,043 --> 00:10:19,873 It's just a really beautiful construction 198 00:10:19,873 --> 00:10:22,773 of a young girl trying to figure out her life 199 00:10:22,773 --> 00:10:24,913 while everything is kind of going wrong around it. 200 00:10:26,143 --> 00:10:28,043 Taylor Swift is hugely important to me 201 00:10:28,043 --> 00:10:31,273 because her songs, her albums and her tours 202 00:10:31,273 --> 00:10:34,043 have really soundtracked the major moments of my life. 203 00:10:34,043 --> 00:10:39,213 For me. I think that, you know, writing my own songs was a way to-- 204 00:10:39,213 --> 00:10:43,243 To, you know, create what I wanted to create and music about my life. 205 00:10:43,243 --> 00:10:46,313 And that way it kind of became just a diary put to music 206 00:10:46,313 --> 00:10:47,743 every time I put out a new record. 207 00:10:47,743 --> 00:10:49,943 [Hourihane] Her unique skill as a songwriter 208 00:10:49,943 --> 00:10:53,643 and a performer is being able to say something very personal 209 00:10:53,643 --> 00:10:57,013 and make it feel very general or universally applicable. 210 00:10:57,013 --> 00:10:59,073 And so I feel hurt when she's hurt, 211 00:10:59,073 --> 00:11:00,743 and I feel happy when she's happy. 212 00:11:00,743 --> 00:11:03,773 And I think that's a really essential part of being a Taylor Swift fan 213 00:11:03,773 --> 00:11:06,513 is kind of living her life alongside her. 214 00:11:07,573 --> 00:11:09,573 Growing up as a young gay man in Singapore, 215 00:11:09,573 --> 00:11:12,673 those songs were really kind of like little lullabies that sung me to sleep at night 216 00:11:12,673 --> 00:11:15,013 when I wasn't quite sure who I was or where I was going. 217 00:11:20,813 --> 00:11:25,973 It is undeniable that she is the most impactful songwriter of our generation 218 00:11:25,973 --> 00:11:29,613 on par with The Beatles, on par with Bob Dylan. 219 00:11:29,613 --> 00:11:33,543 She has a desire to be seen as a songwriter, 220 00:11:33,543 --> 00:11:36,673 as someone who has a craft. 221 00:11:36,673 --> 00:11:38,673 Women in pop have historically 222 00:11:38,673 --> 00:11:40,743 and inaccurately been portrayed 223 00:11:40,743 --> 00:11:44,373 as just cogs in the machine, as not creative. 224 00:11:44,373 --> 00:11:49,673 So Taylor Swift's real push to position herself 225 00:11:49,673 --> 00:11:54,343 as a songwriter first and foremost, has been immensely impactful. 226 00:11:54,343 --> 00:11:56,213 [fans cheering] 227 00:11:56,213 --> 00:12:00,443 She is able to write these very personal songs 228 00:12:00,443 --> 00:12:06,043 that invoke imagery of writing in your diary in your bedroom as a teenager. 229 00:12:06,043 --> 00:12:08,673 And what's been so interesting following her career 230 00:12:08,673 --> 00:12:10,543 is the ways that she's never lost 231 00:12:10,543 --> 00:12:13,443 that intensely personal way of writing, 232 00:12:13,443 --> 00:12:15,813 even as her life has got less relatable. 233 00:12:18,743 --> 00:12:21,013 -Hello. Nice to meet you. -Lisa. How are you? 234 00:12:21,013 --> 00:12:22,213 I'm doing great. How are you? 235 00:12:22,213 --> 00:12:24,343 I wish I hadn't put my-- I just took my heels off and now-- 236 00:12:24,343 --> 00:12:27,373 Oh! And then, a giant walks up. Yeah. 237 00:12:27,373 --> 00:12:31,443 [Alex Goldschmidt]She's such a nice person. She's such a kind person. 238 00:12:31,443 --> 00:12:33,573 I got here and there were all these signs 239 00:12:33,573 --> 00:12:36,113 and people with pictures of me like outside, 240 00:12:36,113 --> 00:12:38,143 like all the fans like screaming. 241 00:12:38,143 --> 00:12:39,413 It was amazing. 242 00:12:39,413 --> 00:12:44,313 She has always just put a strong emphasis in her career 243 00:12:44,313 --> 00:12:47,413 on rewarding those fans and surprising them. 244 00:12:47,413 --> 00:12:52,073 And if she's able to showing up and being there for important moments 245 00:12:52,073 --> 00:12:55,713 just to show the connection and the love 246 00:12:55,713 --> 00:12:57,573 that she has for her fans. 247 00:12:57,573 --> 00:13:02,173 There is one secret that I didn't trust any of you with. 248 00:13:02,173 --> 00:13:06,213 It's a crazy story, but I decided to propose to my husband 249 00:13:06,213 --> 00:13:09,473 while I was listening to a song from her albumReputation in the car. 250 00:13:09,473 --> 00:13:10,943 The song is calledKing of My Heart. 251 00:13:10,943 --> 00:13:13,973 And so I just wrote her an email just letting her know 252 00:13:13,973 --> 00:13:17,373 that this song had impacted me in such a way. 253 00:13:17,373 --> 00:13:19,243 -Hi. -[all cheering] 254 00:13:22,113 --> 00:13:25,913 Which ended up leading to her coming to my engagement party 255 00:13:25,913 --> 00:13:27,813 and singing the song on guitar. 256 00:13:27,813 --> 00:13:31,513 [singing] All at once you are the one I have been waiting for. 257 00:13:31,513 --> 00:13:33,873 King of my heart. 258 00:13:33,873 --> 00:13:37,413 Body and soul. Oh-oh. 259 00:13:37,413 --> 00:13:40,813 [Goldschmidt]We all are on this planet looking for connection, 260 00:13:40,813 --> 00:13:43,013 looking for love, looking for happiness. 261 00:13:43,013 --> 00:13:49,113 And she has such a skill at putting those relatable feelings to music 262 00:13:49,113 --> 00:13:54,143 that it makes the fans even more feel like she's their champion. 263 00:13:54,143 --> 00:13:55,913 You know when she's singing about something 264 00:13:55,913 --> 00:13:58,213 that was truly heartbreaking or sad, 265 00:13:58,213 --> 00:14:00,173 you do want to pick up a pitchfork 266 00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:02,073 and be like, "Who hurt Taylor?" 267 00:14:05,743 --> 00:14:07,443 Give it up for my friend Justin. 268 00:14:12,173 --> 00:14:14,513 -[audience cheering] -Give it up for Justin Bieber! 269 00:14:17,373 --> 00:14:20,213 [Silman] I think one thing to understand is that 270 00:14:20,213 --> 00:14:23,813 Taylor has a really long history with a lot of people 271 00:14:23,813 --> 00:14:26,513 that Scooter also has a long history with, 272 00:14:26,513 --> 00:14:31,173 and I think there's a lot behind the scenes that we don't know about. 273 00:14:31,173 --> 00:14:36,013 Justin Bieber is a singer and he's also being managed by Scooter Braun. 274 00:14:36,013 --> 00:14:39,743 Scooter Braun is a talent manager and a businessman. 275 00:14:39,743 --> 00:14:41,043 He was more than just a manager. 276 00:14:41,043 --> 00:14:43,443 He was a father figure to Justin. 277 00:14:43,443 --> 00:14:45,343 I couldn't be more happy that I met him 278 00:14:45,343 --> 00:14:46,773 and he helped me get to where I am. 279 00:14:46,773 --> 00:14:48,673 [woman] That's so nice. 280 00:14:48,673 --> 00:14:53,013 In Justin Bieber's 2011 concert documentary,Never Say Never, 281 00:14:53,013 --> 00:14:56,943 Scooter gave himself a key supporting role. 282 00:14:56,943 --> 00:14:59,373 And he talks about Taylor Swift 283 00:14:59,373 --> 00:15:01,773 as this inspiration for Justin. 284 00:15:01,773 --> 00:15:04,513 We got invited to meet Taylor Swift at her sold out show. 285 00:15:04,513 --> 00:15:06,743 First time she'd ever sold out the Garden. 286 00:15:06,743 --> 00:15:10,273 And I remember the kids are waving their hands side to side 287 00:15:10,273 --> 00:15:11,973 all around these stands. 288 00:15:11,973 --> 00:15:13,713 [Silman] A lot of managers are content 289 00:15:13,713 --> 00:15:16,913 to kind of hang in the background and be invisible. 290 00:15:16,913 --> 00:15:21,473 But Scooter always wanted to be out there and be in front of the camera. 291 00:15:21,473 --> 00:15:23,573 And in clients documentaries since then, 292 00:15:23,573 --> 00:15:26,073 he's often made himself a character. 293 00:15:26,073 --> 00:15:29,513 I think he really wants to be known. 294 00:15:29,513 --> 00:15:30,543 You're in the second row. 295 00:15:30,543 --> 00:15:33,173 -[screams] -Are you serious? Oh my God! 296 00:15:33,173 --> 00:15:36,813 -You cry when you see him? -We cried when we saw you. 297 00:15:36,813 --> 00:15:39,043 He didn't just want to be an artist manager. 298 00:15:39,043 --> 00:15:41,443 He wanted to have an empire. 299 00:15:41,443 --> 00:15:44,313 And he's made really strategic business decisions 300 00:15:44,313 --> 00:15:45,643 to help make that happen. 301 00:15:54,373 --> 00:15:59,173 I am Heather Wirth, and I was part of the 1989 Tour 302 00:15:59,173 --> 00:16:01,513 with Taylor Swift as her personal assistant. 303 00:16:01,513 --> 00:16:05,143 This is my official badge. 304 00:16:05,143 --> 00:16:08,513 I was going from state to state, stadium to stadium, 305 00:16:08,513 --> 00:16:11,313 hotel to hotel, driving her, 306 00:16:11,313 --> 00:16:13,573 dealing with the paparazzi. [winces] 307 00:16:13,573 --> 00:16:16,143 It's 24/7. It's always go time. 308 00:16:16,143 --> 00:16:18,073 You know, if she needs you, you're there. 309 00:16:19,043 --> 00:16:21,613 Taylor is very down to earth. 310 00:16:21,613 --> 00:16:23,373 There's no fakeness to her. 311 00:16:23,373 --> 00:16:26,973 Everything is very genuine, very real. 312 00:16:26,973 --> 00:16:29,973 -[cameras flashing] -[paparazzi] Morning, Taylor. You look beautiful. 313 00:16:29,973 --> 00:16:37,143 Everywhere she went, she would write down lyrics or thoughts or maybe ideas. 314 00:16:37,143 --> 00:16:41,243 There was one time where I was traveling with her on her tour 315 00:16:41,243 --> 00:16:44,513 and she was sitting in the back of her plane. 316 00:16:44,513 --> 00:16:47,773 I could hear her just throwing words together. 317 00:16:47,773 --> 00:16:49,473 And then basically in front of me, 318 00:16:49,473 --> 00:16:51,443 she ended up writing...Ready For It. 319 00:16:52,513 --> 00:16:56,073 When that song came out, I was like, I know that song. 320 00:16:57,043 --> 00:17:00,713 She wrote that like, right next to me. 321 00:17:00,713 --> 00:17:02,113 [fans screaming, cheering] 322 00:17:02,113 --> 00:17:04,872 [Heather Wirth]It takes a while for Taylor to let her guard down. 323 00:17:04,872 --> 00:17:06,973 When I worked with her, it took her a while with me. 324 00:17:06,973 --> 00:17:09,573 -You wanted to get one? -[fan] Of course I do! 325 00:17:09,573 --> 00:17:12,813 [Wirth] These tabloids, they twist things, constantly twisting it, 326 00:17:12,813 --> 00:17:15,112 while all the paparazzi and everything. 327 00:17:15,112 --> 00:17:17,043 [girl] Can you get me too? 328 00:17:17,043 --> 00:17:21,112 At the end of the day, Taylor is just a normal person, 329 00:17:21,112 --> 00:17:22,412 just like you and me. 330 00:17:26,073 --> 00:17:27,473 [paparazzi shouting] Taylor! This side! 331 00:17:28,913 --> 00:17:30,673 [Dr. Amelia Morris]She has experienced a lot of misogyny 332 00:17:30,673 --> 00:17:35,913 in the ways that she was reduced down to who she was dating. 333 00:17:37,313 --> 00:17:41,313 The tabloids would obsessively write about her. 334 00:17:41,313 --> 00:17:43,743 She was positioned as the bunny boiler. 335 00:17:43,743 --> 00:17:48,113 She's only going to date you so that she can write a song about you. 336 00:17:48,113 --> 00:17:50,913 And this just reflects kind of the immense double standards 337 00:17:50,913 --> 00:17:54,573 of the ways that famous musicians are spoken about. 338 00:17:54,573 --> 00:17:58,043 She is not doing anything different to how artists 339 00:17:58,043 --> 00:18:02,573 like The Beatles or Harry Styles have written about their romantic life, 340 00:18:02,573 --> 00:18:04,813 but that's seen as cathartic 341 00:18:04,813 --> 00:18:08,873 whereas Taylor Swift's songwriting is positioned 342 00:18:08,873 --> 00:18:12,443 as weaponized victimhood. 343 00:18:12,443 --> 00:18:15,873 There was a time where it was the butt of a lot of jokes. 344 00:18:15,873 --> 00:18:18,843 Her dating life was seen as a punch line. 345 00:18:18,843 --> 00:18:20,843 You seem to have had more than your fair share of breakups? 346 00:18:20,843 --> 00:18:23,543 [laughs] Yeah, there have been a few. 347 00:18:23,543 --> 00:18:24,773 Who are you seeing at the moment? 348 00:18:25,843 --> 00:18:27,043 I don't really talk about that. 349 00:18:27,043 --> 00:18:28,373 -I just kind of-- -Well, why not? What's wrong with it? 350 00:18:28,373 --> 00:18:30,243 -Because-- [laughs] -[audience laughing] 351 00:18:30,243 --> 00:18:33,143 There was kind of a cat and mouse element 352 00:18:33,143 --> 00:18:35,143 to some of those early interviews. 353 00:18:35,143 --> 00:18:39,713 She would just stop talking rather than say too much. 354 00:18:39,713 --> 00:18:42,643 You think that you do maybe get into a relationship too readily? 355 00:18:42,643 --> 00:18:44,243 Do you give too much of yourself too soon? 356 00:18:44,243 --> 00:18:46,143 Would that be why this keeps happening? 357 00:18:46,143 --> 00:18:48,773 I don't know why people think that. People think that about me. 358 00:18:48,773 --> 00:18:49,943 That's like I think-- 359 00:18:49,943 --> 00:18:52,013 Because you've had so many [bleep] breakups. That's why. 360 00:18:52,013 --> 00:18:52,873 [audience laughing] 361 00:18:54,373 --> 00:18:57,273 [Brian Mansfield]When I would see people talking about, 362 00:18:57,273 --> 00:18:59,673 "Oh, she's just going from guy to guy to guy," 363 00:18:59,673 --> 00:19:03,873 I knew that I wasn't seeing anything different 364 00:19:03,873 --> 00:19:08,373 than when I was that age or when my wife was that age. 365 00:19:08,373 --> 00:19:12,043 When I talked to her about relationships, 366 00:19:12,043 --> 00:19:19,043 I don't think I saw how much hearing those things would have affected her. 367 00:19:19,043 --> 00:19:21,943 I didn't realize that she was going through 368 00:19:21,943 --> 00:19:24,373 a lot of the things that she was going through. 369 00:19:27,473 --> 00:19:32,643 Taylor is someone who very much sticks to what she believes in. 370 00:19:32,643 --> 00:19:34,713 She knows exactly who her audience is 371 00:19:34,713 --> 00:19:37,743 and what she wants to present to them as a role model. 372 00:19:37,743 --> 00:19:41,913 There are a lot of levels to how bad the music industry can be for people 373 00:19:41,913 --> 00:19:45,413 and deep rooted sexism that she has faced in her career. 374 00:19:48,413 --> 00:19:54,373 In 2013, she says that she was groped by a radio DJ called David Mueller 375 00:19:54,373 --> 00:19:56,213 at a meet and greet and gets photographed. 376 00:19:56,213 --> 00:19:58,573 She subsequently got him sacked from his job. 377 00:19:58,573 --> 00:20:01,543 He sued her for $3 million and she countersued him, 378 00:20:01,543 --> 00:20:03,913 saying it was essentially sexual assault. 379 00:20:03,913 --> 00:20:05,773 And it went to trial. 380 00:20:05,773 --> 00:20:07,443 She actually stood up and testified, 381 00:20:07,443 --> 00:20:09,473 and a jury ruled in her favor, 382 00:20:09,473 --> 00:20:12,873 and she asked that he pay her one dollar in damages 383 00:20:12,873 --> 00:20:14,913 as a kind of symbolic result 384 00:20:14,913 --> 00:20:17,613 because it was more important for her to win on the principle 385 00:20:17,613 --> 00:20:20,273 rather than to get any money out of him. 386 00:20:20,273 --> 00:20:23,143 And I think that tells you something about her tenaciousness, 387 00:20:23,143 --> 00:20:26,143 but also about the fact that she is willing to fight people 388 00:20:26,143 --> 00:20:27,743 who have done her wrong 389 00:20:27,743 --> 00:20:31,373 and just makes her even more beloved in the eyes of her fans. 390 00:20:43,213 --> 00:20:47,013 [Wood] The music industry runs on artists. 391 00:20:47,013 --> 00:20:50,273 It also runs on managers orchestrating deals, 392 00:20:50,273 --> 00:20:53,673 who are helping artists steer their careers. 393 00:20:53,673 --> 00:20:59,613 And Scooter was very skilled at navigating superstardom 394 00:20:59,613 --> 00:21:01,013 on behalf of his clients, 395 00:21:01,013 --> 00:21:06,983 and saw clearly how to create pop superstars in a social media age. 396 00:21:06,983 --> 00:21:09,643 I got to ask you. Kanye West, eight Grammy nominations. 397 00:21:09,643 --> 00:21:11,513 How is he doing? 398 00:21:11,513 --> 00:21:14,543 He's a fantastic individual, and I am blessed to call him my friend 399 00:21:14,543 --> 00:21:15,883 and he's doing great. 400 00:21:15,883 --> 00:21:18,313 [Wood] In 2016, Kanye has his song Famous 401 00:21:18,313 --> 00:21:21,043 where there's a very inflammatory line in there 402 00:21:21,043 --> 00:21:24,473 where he says that he might still have sex with Taylor Swift. 403 00:21:24,473 --> 00:21:26,883 "Why? Because he made that bitch famous." 404 00:21:26,883 --> 00:21:30,083 And so, you know, nobody wants to hear this rapped about them. 405 00:21:30,083 --> 00:21:31,783 I mean, obviously, that's playing into all kinds of 406 00:21:31,783 --> 00:21:35,983 misogynistic tropes about the music industry 407 00:21:35,983 --> 00:21:37,983 that the only way Taylor got there 408 00:21:37,983 --> 00:21:40,213 was because of who she had relationships with. 409 00:21:40,213 --> 00:21:42,413 [Kanye West and crowd rapping] Southside [bleep] that know me best. 410 00:21:42,413 --> 00:21:45,043 I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. 411 00:21:45,043 --> 00:21:47,373 -Why? -[crowd] I made that [bleep] famous! 412 00:21:47,373 --> 00:21:50,143 -[West] Goddamn. -[crowd] I made that [bleep] famous! 413 00:21:50,143 --> 00:21:51,983 [West moans] 414 00:21:51,983 --> 00:21:54,143 [Spanos] He ends up making a video for Famous 415 00:21:54,143 --> 00:21:56,913 where Taylor, along with public figures 416 00:21:56,913 --> 00:21:59,883 like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, are seen as sort of like, 417 00:21:59,883 --> 00:22:03,843 these naked wax figures, basically all in bed together. 418 00:22:03,843 --> 00:22:06,943 ♪ All my Southside niggas that know me best ♪ 419 00:22:06,943 --> 00:22:09,713 ♪ I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex ♪ 420 00:22:09,713 --> 00:22:11,913 ♪ Why? I made that bitch famous ♪ 421 00:22:11,913 --> 00:22:14,983 ♪ Goddamn I made that bitch famous ♪ 422 00:22:14,983 --> 00:22:16,943 This sets off everything. 423 00:22:16,943 --> 00:22:20,413 Taylor immediately makes a public statement about it. 424 00:22:20,413 --> 00:22:23,913 She's very upset about the line "and made that bitch famous". 425 00:22:23,913 --> 00:22:26,813 She references it in her album of the year speech. 426 00:22:26,813 --> 00:22:30,643 I want to say to all the young women out there, 427 00:22:30,643 --> 00:22:32,673 there are going to be people along the way 428 00:22:32,673 --> 00:22:36,783 who will try to undercut your success. 429 00:22:36,783 --> 00:22:41,443 Or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. 430 00:22:43,413 --> 00:22:45,373 [Wood] She's using this moment to sort of say, "Hey. 431 00:22:45,373 --> 00:22:49,513 This is somebody trying to take away what I've built, 432 00:22:49,513 --> 00:22:51,573 what I've created, and they're trying to 433 00:22:51,573 --> 00:22:53,743 make you think something else is true." 434 00:22:53,743 --> 00:22:55,513 [paparazzi] Stay with us, Taylor! 435 00:22:55,513 --> 00:22:58,613 Kim Kardashian ends up posting to Snapchat 436 00:22:58,613 --> 00:23:03,213 a secret recording of Kanye calling Taylor from his studio. 437 00:23:03,213 --> 00:23:05,573 There was a controversy about whether these clips were edited 438 00:23:05,573 --> 00:23:07,113 to show Taylor in a bad light. 439 00:23:07,113 --> 00:23:08,643 And when the full recording comes out, 440 00:23:08,643 --> 00:23:12,783 you can hear him asking permission to talk about her in the song. 441 00:23:12,783 --> 00:23:15,343 It has a very controversial line 442 00:23:15,343 --> 00:23:17,843 at the beginning of the song about you. 443 00:23:18,673 --> 00:23:20,143 [Swift on phone]What does it say? 444 00:23:20,143 --> 00:23:23,043 Okay. Can you brace yourself for a second? 445 00:23:23,043 --> 00:23:25,883 -[Swift] Yeah. -Okay. All right. [chuckles] 446 00:23:27,513 --> 00:23:29,213 It says-- Wait a second, you sound sad. 447 00:23:31,313 --> 00:23:33,643 [Swift] Well, is it going to be mean? 448 00:23:33,643 --> 00:23:35,413 No, I don't think it's mean. 449 00:23:35,413 --> 00:23:39,183 "To all my Southside niggas that know me best. 450 00:23:39,183 --> 00:23:43,673 I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex." 451 00:23:43,673 --> 00:23:45,843 -[chuckles] -[Swift laughing] 452 00:23:46,543 --> 00:23:48,743 - That's not mean. -Okay. 453 00:23:48,743 --> 00:23:50,143 I mean, I need to think about it 454 00:23:50,143 --> 00:23:51,743 because I just need to, like, you know, 455 00:23:51,743 --> 00:23:53,013 you hear something for the first time 456 00:23:53,013 --> 00:23:55,113 -and you just need to think about it. - Yeah. 457 00:23:55,113 --> 00:23:57,513 [Swift] But like, oh my God, the buildup you gave it, 458 00:23:57,513 --> 00:24:00,943 I thought it was gonna be like, "That stupid, dumb bitch." 459 00:24:00,943 --> 00:24:03,043 Like, but it's not. 460 00:24:03,043 --> 00:24:07,183 Now, the video doesn't show him asking for permission for the line, however, 461 00:24:07,183 --> 00:24:08,713 that is, "I made that bitch famous", 462 00:24:08,713 --> 00:24:11,573 which had been the source of a lot of Taylor's anger. 463 00:24:11,573 --> 00:24:14,083 But regardless, having any sort of video footage 464 00:24:14,083 --> 00:24:17,113 of Taylor proving any part of Famous was enough 465 00:24:17,113 --> 00:24:21,673 for people to flood her Instagram with snake emojis. 466 00:24:21,673 --> 00:24:25,343 For Kim and Kanye to call it a win for themselves. 467 00:24:26,613 --> 00:24:29,043 For Taylor to be seen in a lesser light 468 00:24:29,043 --> 00:24:31,013 than she'd ever been seen before. 469 00:24:31,013 --> 00:24:32,513 This was the biggest controversy 470 00:24:32,513 --> 00:24:35,113 that she had experienced in her career. 471 00:24:35,673 --> 00:24:39,613 [actor reading] 472 00:24:52,413 --> 00:24:56,573 [Tsjeng] At the time, hashtag KimExposedTaylor was trending on Twitter. 473 00:24:57,883 --> 00:25:00,543 It had a really big impact on her mental health. 474 00:25:00,543 --> 00:25:01,813 She moved countries. 475 00:25:01,813 --> 00:25:03,613 She said she was afraid to pick up the phone 476 00:25:03,613 --> 00:25:05,043 because she didn't know who she could trust. 477 00:25:05,673 --> 00:25:07,443 This was a huge deal for her 478 00:25:07,443 --> 00:25:09,813 I think psychologically and emotionally. 479 00:25:12,943 --> 00:25:14,673 During this whole Famous saga, 480 00:25:14,673 --> 00:25:16,573 when she was really affected by it, 481 00:25:16,573 --> 00:25:18,513 Scooter Braun was managing Kanye. 482 00:25:21,883 --> 00:25:25,513 It seems that Taylor viewed Scooter 483 00:25:25,513 --> 00:25:28,913 as having something to do with Kanye's behavior. 484 00:25:30,143 --> 00:25:35,783 Scooter was good at helping artists steer their careers. 485 00:25:35,783 --> 00:25:38,113 Here's what you should do. Here's what you shouldn't do. 486 00:25:39,673 --> 00:25:41,213 [Tsjeng] There's a big burst of publicity 487 00:25:41,213 --> 00:25:43,243 from Kanye West's new album. 488 00:25:43,243 --> 00:25:46,473 You know all publicity is good publicity, as the saying goes. 489 00:25:46,473 --> 00:25:47,643 -[cameras flashing] -[crowd cheering] 490 00:25:49,083 --> 00:25:51,713 In the documentaryMiss Americana, Taylor talks a little bit 491 00:25:51,713 --> 00:25:57,213 about what this experience with Kanye had done for her reputation. 492 00:25:57,213 --> 00:25:58,983 I'm just tired of the... 493 00:26:00,013 --> 00:26:02,143 [shuddering breath] Just... 494 00:26:03,183 --> 00:26:05,013 [sniffles] 495 00:26:05,013 --> 00:26:08,713 [voice wavering] Just feels like it's more than music now at this point. 496 00:26:08,713 --> 00:26:11,273 And just most days I'm like, okay, 497 00:26:11,273 --> 00:26:13,213 but then sometimes I'm just like... 498 00:26:17,273 --> 00:26:19,673 It just gets loud sometimes. 499 00:26:21,413 --> 00:26:24,783 [Spanos] This very vivid way that she describes her own emotions, 500 00:26:24,783 --> 00:26:28,713 allowing herself to give an intimate experience of her life, 501 00:26:28,713 --> 00:26:30,813 to her fans and to people who follow her. 502 00:26:30,813 --> 00:26:34,213 She's very upset about the public really hating her 503 00:26:34,213 --> 00:26:37,183 and really not being on her side. 504 00:26:37,183 --> 00:26:39,513 This was a period that she has found to be 505 00:26:39,513 --> 00:26:41,143 one of the darkest in her life. 506 00:26:42,013 --> 00:26:43,813 Her entire career was at stake, 507 00:26:43,813 --> 00:26:45,743 where she felt like she might lose everything. 508 00:26:45,743 --> 00:26:48,983 It wasn't unusual for news outlets 509 00:26:48,983 --> 00:26:52,443 to be running stories like, "Taylor Swift is lying to you." 510 00:26:54,613 --> 00:26:59,843 She was accused of constantly playing the victim to try and get sympathy and pity. 511 00:26:59,843 --> 00:27:01,713 [paparazzi] Bieber! Justin! 512 00:27:01,713 --> 00:27:04,413 [Wood] At some point, Justin Bieber gets involved, you know. 513 00:27:04,413 --> 00:27:09,713 And there's this post where you sort of see him on a call with Scooter, 514 00:27:09,713 --> 00:27:11,883 and then he's asking Taylor. "Hey, what's up?" 515 00:27:13,273 --> 00:27:16,843 And then that just, for Taylor, it kind of reinforces this idea 516 00:27:16,843 --> 00:27:21,613 that these guys are arrayed against her. 517 00:27:21,613 --> 00:27:24,813 Justin has since apologized for his behavior, 518 00:27:24,813 --> 00:27:27,543 but Taylor found it really traumatizing at the time. 519 00:27:33,843 --> 00:27:36,013 [Richard Busch]Taylor's contract lasted 13 years, 520 00:27:36,013 --> 00:27:38,713 so she was bound for 13 years 521 00:27:38,713 --> 00:27:43,813 to deliver these six albums for Scott, the owner of Big Machine. 522 00:27:43,813 --> 00:27:45,543 On behalf of Big Machine Records 523 00:27:45,543 --> 00:27:49,213 and our partners, Universal Music Group Worldwide, 524 00:27:49,213 --> 00:27:51,443 we are so proud to present to you this plaque. 525 00:27:51,443 --> 00:27:57,743 You have to understand that when she signed the contract, she was a teenager. 526 00:27:57,743 --> 00:28:00,313 So she wasn't the Taylor Swift we know now. 527 00:28:00,313 --> 00:28:04,013 -Y'all want to hear some country music? -[audience cheering] 528 00:28:04,013 --> 00:28:06,083 And so the recognition should be that 529 00:28:06,083 --> 00:28:09,983 that I signed a deal when I was a teenager, when I was nobody. 530 00:28:09,983 --> 00:28:14,413 But I have become on the level of Michael Jackson, 531 00:28:14,413 --> 00:28:16,083 you know, Elvis, Eminem. 532 00:28:16,083 --> 00:28:17,313 [cameraman] All right, guys. Look right here. 533 00:28:17,313 --> 00:28:20,143 [Busch] Think of music as having different components 534 00:28:20,143 --> 00:28:24,813 and different parties oftentimes own those different rights. 535 00:28:24,813 --> 00:28:30,513 The songwriter owns the publishing the moment he or she writes the song. 536 00:28:30,513 --> 00:28:35,673 Generally speaking, the record label owns the master sound recording. 537 00:28:35,673 --> 00:28:37,743 When you own your own master recordings, 538 00:28:37,743 --> 00:28:40,443 it's protecting what you've created, 539 00:28:40,443 --> 00:28:42,113 the ability to say no. 540 00:28:42,113 --> 00:28:44,343 She wanted a fair deal from Big Machine. 541 00:28:44,343 --> 00:28:45,883 She wanted to get her master's back. 542 00:28:47,113 --> 00:28:50,443 [Wood] Taylor comes to Scott Borchetta and says, 543 00:28:50,443 --> 00:28:53,473 "Hey, I'd like to own my masters." 544 00:28:53,473 --> 00:28:57,143 Borchetta says, according to the story here, 545 00:28:57,143 --> 00:28:59,043 "All right. Well, how about this? 546 00:28:59,043 --> 00:29:03,473 We'll do a deal where you make another album for me, 547 00:29:03,473 --> 00:29:07,343 and then I'll give you the rights back to your old albums. 548 00:29:07,343 --> 00:29:08,843 And then we'll do it like that. 549 00:29:08,843 --> 00:29:12,513 You make several more album and then you'll own your old ones again." 550 00:29:12,513 --> 00:29:16,943 [Busch] She's already been basically a slave to them for 13 years. 551 00:29:16,943 --> 00:29:20,743 She's delivered six of the biggest albums of all time, 552 00:29:20,743 --> 00:29:25,743 and they were using her desire to get her recordings back 553 00:29:25,743 --> 00:29:28,443 as some type of pressure point 554 00:29:28,443 --> 00:29:30,783 ...to get more recordings from her. 555 00:29:30,783 --> 00:29:35,213 So Taylor leaves Big Machine and goes to UMG Republic, 556 00:29:35,213 --> 00:29:36,473 Universal Music Republic, 557 00:29:36,473 --> 00:29:39,443 where she strikes a deal where she owns her masters. 558 00:29:39,443 --> 00:29:43,373 Why they didn't just sell her the masters, period, 559 00:29:43,373 --> 00:29:45,513 without any strings attached? 560 00:29:46,613 --> 00:29:48,043 That's a question for them. 561 00:29:50,743 --> 00:29:54,813 [Anna] The music industry is very much a boys club. 562 00:29:54,813 --> 00:29:57,713 All the top executives, the people who have 563 00:29:57,713 --> 00:29:59,383 the most money and the most power 564 00:29:59,383 --> 00:30:02,113 are overwhelmingly white and male. 565 00:30:02,113 --> 00:30:04,743 I think it is a very misogynistic industry. 566 00:30:06,643 --> 00:30:08,913 I'd always known about Scooter Braun, 567 00:30:08,913 --> 00:30:14,913 but in 2021, he sold his business to HYBE for a billion dollars. 568 00:30:14,913 --> 00:30:18,383 and I was like, "Wow, that's a lot of money." 569 00:30:18,383 --> 00:30:21,343 But it wasn't until I started looking into him 570 00:30:21,343 --> 00:30:23,813 that I realized just how much power 571 00:30:23,813 --> 00:30:25,943 and influence and money he had. 572 00:30:28,783 --> 00:30:30,643 I was really excited to write the piece. 573 00:30:30,643 --> 00:30:32,913 I don't think there have been any other 574 00:30:32,913 --> 00:30:36,743 deep-dive investigations into Scooter and his empire. 575 00:30:36,743 --> 00:30:39,513 We spoke to over 50 entertainment insiders 576 00:30:39,513 --> 00:30:41,183 who'd worked with Scooter. 577 00:30:41,183 --> 00:30:43,983 People were nervous to speak on the record. 578 00:30:43,983 --> 00:30:46,983 I think people are quite intimidated by Scooter, 579 00:30:46,983 --> 00:30:48,913 and a lot of people would only speak 580 00:30:48,913 --> 00:30:50,783 if they were able to be anonymous. 581 00:30:51,783 --> 00:30:54,883 Scooter has always taken pains to present himself 582 00:30:54,883 --> 00:30:56,913 as this really good guy, 583 00:30:56,913 --> 00:31:00,613 this philanthropist, this family man. 584 00:31:00,613 --> 00:31:03,343 But what we heard over and over again 585 00:31:03,343 --> 00:31:07,683 was that Scooter is one of the most ruthless people in the business. 586 00:31:08,843 --> 00:31:11,113 [Scooter] A year ago, I'm not going to say names 587 00:31:11,113 --> 00:31:12,413 but another manager in the business 588 00:31:12,413 --> 00:31:15,883 said I was the worst music manager in the music business 589 00:31:17,213 --> 00:31:20,083 And it didn't bother me because he's an asshole. 590 00:31:20,083 --> 00:31:23,013 [paparazzi cheering] 591 00:31:23,013 --> 00:31:25,443 [Anna] Around the time that Scooter's client, 592 00:31:25,443 --> 00:31:28,183 Ariana Grande was dating Pete Davidson 593 00:31:28,183 --> 00:31:30,513 and his other client, Justin Bieber, 594 00:31:30,513 --> 00:31:32,843 was engaged to Hailey Baldwin, 595 00:31:32,843 --> 00:31:35,713 someone tweeted, "The devil works hard, 596 00:31:35,713 --> 00:31:38,243 but Scooter Braun works harder." 597 00:31:38,243 --> 00:31:39,913 It was in reference to the fact 598 00:31:39,913 --> 00:31:42,243 that Scooter seemed to have 599 00:31:42,243 --> 00:31:44,813 such vast influence over pop culture 600 00:31:44,813 --> 00:31:47,513 that two of the biggest news stories in the world 601 00:31:47,513 --> 00:31:49,943 were about his clients. 602 00:31:49,943 --> 00:31:52,783 He's known for being really good at playing the press 603 00:31:52,783 --> 00:31:54,843 and shaping the media narrative. 604 00:32:03,783 --> 00:32:06,543 [Zing] When Taylor publishes that first Tumblr post 605 00:32:06,543 --> 00:32:12,343 in June 2019, she seems genuinely in crisis. 606 00:32:12,343 --> 00:32:14,883 [reading] "My musical legacy is about to lie in the hands 607 00:32:14,883 --> 00:32:16,813 of someone who tried to dismantle it." 608 00:32:18,013 --> 00:32:19,643 [Zing] You can tell reading it 609 00:32:19,643 --> 00:32:23,283 that she is in kind of freefall about this. 610 00:32:24,383 --> 00:32:25,843 This has happened to her masters. 611 00:32:25,843 --> 00:32:28,683 Scooter Braun now owns them because he's successfully 612 00:32:28,683 --> 00:32:32,143 completed his purchase of Big Machine, her former label. 613 00:32:32,143 --> 00:32:34,113 [reading] "Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words 614 00:32:34,113 --> 00:32:35,713 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, 615 00:32:35,713 --> 00:32:38,313 it was when I was either crying or trying not to." 616 00:32:41,283 --> 00:32:42,613 [Zing] And she goes on to say 617 00:32:42,613 --> 00:32:45,443 that this is the worst case scenario for her 618 00:32:45,443 --> 00:32:48,483 because the person that she describes as having 619 00:32:48,483 --> 00:32:51,643 manipulatively bullied her for years, 620 00:32:51,643 --> 00:32:54,113 is now essentially owning her work. 621 00:32:55,513 --> 00:32:56,743 [reading]"Like when Kim Kardashian 622 00:32:56,743 --> 00:32:58,913 orchestrated an illegally-recorded snippet 623 00:32:58,913 --> 00:33:00,213 of a phone call to be leaked 624 00:33:00,213 --> 00:33:02,243 and then Scooter got his two clients together 625 00:33:02,243 --> 00:33:03,713 to bully me online about it." 626 00:33:05,483 --> 00:33:07,583 [Mikael] She uses this screenshot 627 00:33:07,583 --> 00:33:10,943 that Justin Bieber had put up on social media, 628 00:33:10,943 --> 00:33:15,313 of him kind of laughing it up with Kanye and Scooter 629 00:33:15,313 --> 00:33:18,083 as kind of evidence that here I've been bullied 630 00:33:18,083 --> 00:33:20,743 by all these guys, but specifically by Scooter. 631 00:33:20,743 --> 00:33:22,213 [reporter] Being at Billboard's power event, 632 00:33:22,213 --> 00:33:24,843 tell me about your biggest power move from 2019? 633 00:33:24,843 --> 00:33:26,013 Our biggest power move 634 00:33:26,013 --> 00:33:29,283 is my new partner, Scooter Braun, with Ithaca. 635 00:33:29,283 --> 00:33:32,113 So we're having a great time, and It's pretty powerful. 636 00:33:32,113 --> 00:33:34,643 [Brittany] Scott Borchetta spoke out about the deal 637 00:33:34,643 --> 00:33:37,213 at the time and the success that it was. 638 00:33:37,213 --> 00:33:41,613 There are a lot of aspects of this, 639 00:33:41,613 --> 00:33:46,183 where it does come down to a woman who trusted a man 640 00:33:46,183 --> 00:33:48,083 who would sign her to his label 641 00:33:48,083 --> 00:33:50,483 and promised her this great career 642 00:33:50,483 --> 00:33:52,043 and being ultimately betrayed by him. 643 00:33:52,043 --> 00:33:53,883 [paparazzi shouting indistinctly] 644 00:33:53,883 --> 00:33:56,183 He was someone, who for a very long time, 645 00:33:56,183 --> 00:33:57,683 seemed like her biggest advocate. 646 00:33:57,683 --> 00:33:58,713 You didn't see it coming? 647 00:33:59,543 --> 00:34:00,643 No. 648 00:34:00,643 --> 00:34:01,983 So how did you find out? 649 00:34:01,983 --> 00:34:03,943 I found out when it was online. 650 00:34:03,943 --> 00:34:05,343 Like when it hit the news. 651 00:34:05,343 --> 00:34:07,483 Nobody in your inner circle... 652 00:34:07,483 --> 00:34:09,182 Nobody knew. 653 00:34:09,182 --> 00:34:11,643 I knew he would sell my music. I knew he would do that. 654 00:34:12,813 --> 00:34:15,282 I couldn't believe who he sold it to 655 00:34:15,282 --> 00:34:18,242 because we've had endless conversations 656 00:34:18,242 --> 00:34:21,213 about Scooter Braun, and he has 300,000,000 reasons 657 00:34:21,213 --> 00:34:24,113 to conveniently forget those conversations. 658 00:34:29,313 --> 00:34:32,282 [Brittany] For Taylor, I think it was a very personal betrayal. 659 00:34:32,282 --> 00:34:34,913 I feel like there are probably aspects of it 660 00:34:34,913 --> 00:34:36,413 we won't understand about 661 00:34:36,413 --> 00:34:39,543 why Scott Borchetta chose to work with Scooter 662 00:34:39,543 --> 00:34:44,583 other than money, other than a very large paycheck. 663 00:34:44,583 --> 00:34:48,012 [Alex] Regardless of how the industry is set up, 664 00:34:48,012 --> 00:34:50,113 where you know, you get funding 665 00:34:50,113 --> 00:34:52,383 to be able to make that career happen. 666 00:34:52,383 --> 00:34:56,543 At the end of the day, the thought that your soul 667 00:34:56,543 --> 00:34:59,513 can then be sold to someone else. 668 00:34:59,513 --> 00:35:00,483 It's like The Little Mermaid. 669 00:35:00,483 --> 00:35:04,183 It's like having your voice taken from you. 670 00:35:06,083 --> 00:35:07,243 [Heather]There were many times 671 00:35:07,243 --> 00:35:09,383 where I did feel sorry for her, 672 00:35:09,383 --> 00:35:11,583 Because not having those rights, 673 00:35:11,583 --> 00:35:12,843 that's heartbreaking. 674 00:35:13,713 --> 00:35:15,713 You come up with something so awesome, 675 00:35:15,713 --> 00:35:17,983 then you should be able to keep it. 676 00:35:17,983 --> 00:35:22,343 No matter how much you want control of things, 677 00:35:22,343 --> 00:35:25,283 there's always going to be the big guy, the Man. 678 00:35:25,283 --> 00:35:26,883 That song "The Man"? 679 00:35:27,543 --> 00:35:30,983 That... is 100% spot on. 680 00:35:30,983 --> 00:35:33,713 She was trying to say that if she was a man, 681 00:35:33,713 --> 00:35:36,443 that she would be able to have more control. 682 00:35:37,143 --> 00:35:39,483 ♪ I'd be a fearless leader ♪ 683 00:35:39,483 --> 00:35:41,483 ♪ I'd be an alpha type ♪ 684 00:35:41,483 --> 00:35:43,983 ♪ When everyone believes ya ♪ 685 00:35:43,983 --> 00:35:46,483 ♪ What's that like? ♪ 686 00:35:46,483 --> 00:35:49,843 [Mikael] The Man video is full of veiled references to this whole thing. 687 00:35:49,843 --> 00:35:53,883 It's pretty hard to view it as anything but a response 688 00:35:53,883 --> 00:35:58,183 to how she feels like she's been treated as a businesswoman 689 00:35:58,183 --> 00:36:01,483 and as a pop star throughout her entire career. 690 00:36:01,483 --> 00:36:05,213 Women are the engine of the music industry. 691 00:36:05,213 --> 00:36:07,443 That's who generates the most excitement. 692 00:36:07,443 --> 00:36:09,043 That's who sells the most records. 693 00:36:09,043 --> 00:36:11,213 That's who sells the most concert tickets. 694 00:36:11,213 --> 00:36:14,043 And yet, the music industry is like many industries, 695 00:36:14,043 --> 00:36:16,013 generally run by men. 696 00:36:18,683 --> 00:36:19,713 [Brittany] In the months following, of course, 697 00:36:19,713 --> 00:36:22,343 Taylor is rolling out her album Lover 698 00:36:22,343 --> 00:36:24,283 and it's a big topic of conversation 699 00:36:24,283 --> 00:36:27,013 when she is talking to the press. 700 00:36:27,013 --> 00:36:29,343 And one thing that comes up in a lot of those interviews 701 00:36:29,343 --> 00:36:31,643 is what she plans to do. 702 00:36:37,313 --> 00:36:39,613 Taylor playsGood Morning America. 703 00:36:39,613 --> 00:36:41,143 You know, TV Show. 704 00:36:41,143 --> 00:36:44,413 And then in the interview with Robin Roberts, 705 00:36:44,413 --> 00:36:45,843 tells the world that she's going to start 706 00:36:45,843 --> 00:36:47,743 re-recording her early albums, 707 00:36:47,743 --> 00:36:48,913 [all cheering] 708 00:36:48,913 --> 00:36:50,343 -[Robin] Are you going to do that? -Yeah, that's true. 709 00:36:50,343 --> 00:36:52,483 And it's something that I'm very excited about doing 710 00:36:52,483 --> 00:36:55,913 because my contract says that, starting November 2020, 711 00:36:55,913 --> 00:36:58,183 so next year, I can record albums 712 00:36:58,183 --> 00:37:00,313 1 through 5 all over again so... 713 00:37:00,313 --> 00:37:01,783 Oh, you'll do that. 714 00:37:01,783 --> 00:37:03,313 I'm very excited about it. 715 00:37:06,143 --> 00:37:07,613 [Dr. Amelia]When she first announces 716 00:37:07,613 --> 00:37:11,083 that she is going to re-record her albums, 717 00:37:11,083 --> 00:37:12,683 there was a lot of questions 718 00:37:12,683 --> 00:37:15,483 around whether this was even achievable. 719 00:37:15,483 --> 00:37:18,613 It's an astronomical project, 720 00:37:18,613 --> 00:37:23,583 and there was an atmosphere of disbelief amongst the media 721 00:37:23,583 --> 00:37:26,413 or that this would be a real failed vanity project. 722 00:37:27,813 --> 00:37:32,283 There is a standard agreement in record labels historically, 723 00:37:32,283 --> 00:37:35,383 that prevents re-recording of recordings 724 00:37:35,383 --> 00:37:37,043 you deliver to the record label. 725 00:37:37,043 --> 00:37:40,783 She had the right after the re-recording commitment expired 726 00:37:40,783 --> 00:37:42,813 to re-record her music, 727 00:37:42,813 --> 00:37:47,683 but she couldn't re-record her masters before 2020. 728 00:37:47,683 --> 00:37:51,813 when that re-recording prohibition terminated. 729 00:37:53,313 --> 00:37:56,743 And Scooter, I believe, was still coming very wealthy 730 00:37:56,743 --> 00:37:59,243 off of her work in an unfair way. 731 00:38:06,683 --> 00:38:12,343 Later in 2019, Taylor sort of tells the world that... 732 00:38:12,343 --> 00:38:16,483 ...she has been barred from performing some of her old music 733 00:38:16,483 --> 00:38:18,943 on the American Music Awards. 734 00:38:18,943 --> 00:38:20,343 [reading] "Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun 735 00:38:20,343 --> 00:38:22,043 have now said that I'm not allowed 736 00:38:22,043 --> 00:38:24,143 to perform my old songs on television 737 00:38:24,143 --> 00:38:26,583 because they claim that would be re-recording my music 738 00:38:26,583 --> 00:38:28,143 before I'm allowed to next year." 739 00:38:30,083 --> 00:38:31,683 "Scott Borchetta told my team 740 00:38:31,683 --> 00:38:33,143 they'll allow me to use my music 741 00:38:33,143 --> 00:38:35,343 only if I do these things: 742 00:38:35,343 --> 00:38:36,943 If I agree to not re-record 743 00:38:36,943 --> 00:38:39,013 copycat versions of my songs next year... 744 00:38:39,643 --> 00:38:40,843 ...and also told my team 745 00:38:40,843 --> 00:38:43,413 that I need to stop talking about him and Scooter Braun. 746 00:38:44,083 --> 00:38:45,513 [Zing] She goes on to say that 747 00:38:45,513 --> 00:38:46,983 my songs are being held hostage 748 00:38:46,983 --> 00:38:48,943 and I feel like I'm being punished for speaking out 749 00:38:48,943 --> 00:38:51,743 about this whole Taylor-Scooter saga. 750 00:38:53,343 --> 00:38:55,313 Saying that the message to her is very clear: 751 00:38:55,313 --> 00:38:56,743 "Be a good girl and shut up." 752 00:38:58,913 --> 00:39:00,413 From Taylor's perspective, 753 00:39:00,413 --> 00:39:02,513 Scooter wanted to control a woman 754 00:39:02,513 --> 00:39:05,443 through the use and ownership of her masters. 755 00:39:05,443 --> 00:39:07,343 And this is an important moment 756 00:39:07,343 --> 00:39:09,743 because this is where she sort of, 757 00:39:09,743 --> 00:39:12,983 as she says it, turns to her fans "for help." 758 00:39:15,343 --> 00:39:16,413 It was one of those moments 759 00:39:16,413 --> 00:39:19,543 where I suddenly was like, "I know what I can do. 760 00:39:19,543 --> 00:39:21,443 I will fix this for her." 761 00:39:21,443 --> 00:39:24,843 It was another challenge where it just felt like, "What is enough?" 762 00:39:24,843 --> 00:39:29,083 When can she finally win without facing 763 00:39:29,083 --> 00:39:32,583 all of these hills that she has to climb over? 764 00:39:32,583 --> 00:39:37,083 I think fans really united around. Like, a #IStandWithTaylor 765 00:39:37,083 --> 00:39:39,713 is a big way of letting people know 766 00:39:39,713 --> 00:39:42,383 like, you're not going to push her around. 767 00:39:45,043 --> 00:39:47,683 [Zing] The IStandWithTaylor hashtag starts trending, 768 00:39:47,683 --> 00:39:49,683 female musicians start posting about it, 769 00:39:49,683 --> 00:39:52,743 and it becomes this whole kind of a big moment 770 00:39:52,743 --> 00:39:55,083 where Taylor is defining the story 771 00:39:55,083 --> 00:39:57,183 of what the masters dispute is about. 772 00:39:57,183 --> 00:39:59,813 It's about, um, a woman having the nerve 773 00:39:59,813 --> 00:40:01,583 to speak out and being shouted down. 774 00:40:01,583 --> 00:40:06,143 It's about, uh, men controlling women's artistic output. 775 00:40:06,143 --> 00:40:09,643 It sets this-this real kind of moment in time for her to be 776 00:40:09,643 --> 00:40:12,143 the David in the David versus Goliath story. 777 00:40:12,143 --> 00:40:15,643 It's now about a woman trying to have creative control 778 00:40:15,643 --> 00:40:17,643 versus an entire music industry 779 00:40:17,643 --> 00:40:19,383 that is not set up to support women. 780 00:40:27,283 --> 00:40:29,543 [male narrator]First up, it's Taylor Swift. 781 00:40:29,543 --> 00:40:31,283 All eyes are gonna be on the pop star 782 00:40:31,283 --> 00:40:33,413 at tonight's American Music Awards, 783 00:40:33,413 --> 00:40:37,213 where she's slated to record a medley of her greatest hits. 784 00:40:37,213 --> 00:40:40,443 Taylor opens the AMA's with the performance of "The Man." 785 00:40:40,443 --> 00:40:43,743 She turns up wearing this oversized men's white shirt 786 00:40:43,743 --> 00:40:46,383 with the names of all her albums plastered on it. 787 00:40:46,383 --> 00:40:49,883 -[audience cheering]-And it is a big pointed statement. 788 00:40:49,883 --> 00:40:53,013 ♪ I'm so sick of running as fast as I can♪ 789 00:40:53,583 --> 00:40:55,243 [audience cheering] 790 00:40:56,713 --> 00:41:00,713 ♪ Wonderin' if I'd get there Quicker if I was a man♪ 791 00:41:00,713 --> 00:41:05,013 You know, it's about a woman who is being controlled 792 00:41:05,013 --> 00:41:07,783 artistically by men in the music industry. 793 00:41:07,783 --> 00:41:10,043 And the albums are kind of like shout-out to the fact 794 00:41:10,043 --> 00:41:12,313 that these are the albums that are currently in dispute. 795 00:41:12,313 --> 00:41:16,383 So It's kind of a visual masterstroke because it's turning this 796 00:41:16,983 --> 00:41:19,143 contractual boardroom fight 797 00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:22,613 into something much much bigger, which is about feminism. 798 00:41:22,613 --> 00:41:23,643 It's about young girls. 799 00:41:23,643 --> 00:41:24,813 She's starting up on stage, 800 00:41:24,813 --> 00:41:26,613 and being empowered and being able to make choices 801 00:41:26,613 --> 00:41:29,513 about what they do with their work, their lives, their careers. 802 00:41:30,113 --> 00:41:31,543 [audience cheering] 803 00:41:31,543 --> 00:41:34,843 ♪ And I'm so sick of them Comin' at me again♪ 804 00:41:35,743 --> 00:41:37,483 ♪ 'Cause if I was a man♪ 805 00:41:38,283 --> 00:41:39,783 ♪ Then I'd be the man♪ 806 00:41:39,783 --> 00:41:41,183 ♪ I'd be the man♪ 807 00:41:44,183 --> 00:41:46,243 ♪ I'd be the man, yeah♪ 808 00:41:46,843 --> 00:41:48,613 ♪ 'Cause I'd be the man♪ 809 00:41:48,613 --> 00:41:50,283 ♪ I'd be the man♪ 810 00:41:51,013 --> 00:41:52,683 [Alex]I think we all can deduce 811 00:41:52,683 --> 00:41:54,443 who she was singing to in that moment. 812 00:41:55,083 --> 00:41:56,743 It was a moment for her 813 00:41:56,743 --> 00:41:58,483 to stand on her two feet 814 00:41:58,483 --> 00:42:02,513 after she had gotten permission to perform this music. 815 00:42:02,513 --> 00:42:05,583 And assert her power very publicly. 816 00:42:08,583 --> 00:42:10,213 [crowd speaking indistinctly] 817 00:42:13,083 --> 00:42:16,083 [Zack]But she was not able, really, to express that moral outrage 818 00:42:16,083 --> 00:42:17,883 without kind of catching the same old, boring, 819 00:42:17,883 --> 00:42:20,013 like, misogynistic critique of, well, 820 00:42:20,013 --> 00:42:22,783 you are being too loud or you're being too annoying 821 00:42:22,783 --> 00:42:24,913 or you're feeling too much in public, 822 00:42:24,913 --> 00:42:28,213 and that's kind of the whole Taylor Swift experience. 823 00:42:28,213 --> 00:42:31,483 The most rage-provoking element of being a female is... 824 00:42:31,483 --> 00:42:35,083 is the gaslighting that happens when, 825 00:42:35,083 --> 00:42:37,543 you know, for centuries we've been just expected 826 00:42:37,543 --> 00:42:41,943 to absorb male behavior silently. Right? 827 00:42:41,943 --> 00:42:46,113 -Silent absorption of whatever any guy decides to do. -Yeah. 828 00:42:46,113 --> 00:42:49,743 She has spoken out to Aaron Dessner, her producer, 829 00:42:49,743 --> 00:42:53,443 about the way that women are not allowed 830 00:42:53,443 --> 00:42:56,683 to have a kind of response 831 00:42:56,683 --> 00:43:00,613 to an emotional situation without being viewed as the villain. 832 00:43:00,613 --> 00:43:02,513 [Taylor] There's been situations with, 833 00:43:02,513 --> 00:43:05,143 recently with somebody who's-who's very guilty 834 00:43:05,143 --> 00:43:08,983 of this in my life, and it's a person who makes me feel, 835 00:43:08,983 --> 00:43:11,883 or tries to make me feel like I'm the offender 836 00:43:12,683 --> 00:43:14,683 by having any kind of defense... 837 00:43:14,683 --> 00:43:16,783 -Yeah. -...to his offenses. It's like... 838 00:43:16,783 --> 00:43:20,343 "Oh, I have absolutely no right to respond or I'm crazy. 839 00:43:20,343 --> 00:43:22,383 I have no right to respond or I'm angry. 840 00:43:22,383 --> 00:43:25,383 -I have no right to respond or I'm out of line." -[Aaron] Yeah. 841 00:43:25,383 --> 00:43:27,243 She's talking about how she's been framed 842 00:43:27,243 --> 00:43:29,483 to a certain kind of characterization 843 00:43:29,483 --> 00:43:32,183 that she feels, like, isn't exactly accurate, 844 00:43:32,183 --> 00:43:35,513 but this is what happens to women who speak their mind. 845 00:43:37,783 --> 00:43:38,883 [female reporter]Good morning to you guys. 846 00:43:38,883 --> 00:43:40,943 It was an early birthday present for Taylor Swift, 847 00:43:40,943 --> 00:43:42,413 who turns 30 today. 848 00:43:42,413 --> 00:43:44,213 She accepted Billboard's first-ever 849 00:43:44,213 --> 00:43:47,343 "Woman of the Decade" award at an event in Los Angeles. 850 00:43:47,343 --> 00:43:49,343 And the pop star didn't hold back in her speech. 851 00:43:49,343 --> 00:43:53,683 [Alex]That speech that she gave was such a strong moment. 852 00:43:53,683 --> 00:43:58,783 She spoke up in front of a room of his peers 853 00:43:58,783 --> 00:44:01,213 to show that she wasn't scared. 854 00:44:01,213 --> 00:44:03,483 That is an act of vulnerability. 855 00:44:03,483 --> 00:44:06,043 She is being vulnerable about that moment 856 00:44:06,043 --> 00:44:08,083 and how hurtful it was. 857 00:44:08,083 --> 00:44:10,913 She told you exactly what she's feeling, 858 00:44:10,913 --> 00:44:12,943 and she's letting you know that, like... 859 00:44:14,243 --> 00:44:15,183 Let's go. 860 00:44:15,183 --> 00:44:18,343 And let me just say that the definition 861 00:44:18,343 --> 00:44:22,413 of the toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying... 862 00:44:22,413 --> 00:44:24,483 "But he's always been nice to me," 863 00:44:24,483 --> 00:44:26,713 when I'm raising valid concerns about artists 864 00:44:26,713 --> 00:44:29,043 and their rights to own their music. 865 00:44:30,413 --> 00:44:31,943 And, of course he's nice to you. 866 00:44:31,943 --> 00:44:34,183 If you're in this room, you have something he needs. 867 00:44:35,843 --> 00:44:39,943 The fact is that private equity is what enabled this man to think, 868 00:44:39,943 --> 00:44:42,613 according to his own social media post, 869 00:44:43,683 --> 00:44:45,543 that he could "buy me." 870 00:44:46,513 --> 00:44:49,243 But I'm obviously not going willingly. 871 00:44:52,643 --> 00:44:54,983 Over the course of the months following, 872 00:44:54,983 --> 00:44:57,483 there was more kind of drama unfolding 873 00:44:57,483 --> 00:45:00,043 behind the scenes as she was trying to, 874 00:45:00,043 --> 00:45:02,113 basically, get back control of her music. 875 00:45:02,113 --> 00:45:05,443 And she alleges that she was blocked from buying this music 876 00:45:05,443 --> 00:45:07,113 that means so much to her. 877 00:45:07,113 --> 00:45:08,643 [photographers clamoring] 878 00:45:08,643 --> 00:45:11,643 [Zack] According to Taylor, in the process of trying to buy back 879 00:45:11,643 --> 00:45:13,513 her master recordings from Scooter Braun, 880 00:45:13,513 --> 00:45:16,043 she wasn't even allowed to see the financials of the deal 881 00:45:16,043 --> 00:45:18,313 before she would sign an NDA, 882 00:45:18,313 --> 00:45:19,743 basically saying that she would never say 883 00:45:19,743 --> 00:45:21,643 anything bad about Scooter Braun ever again. 884 00:45:36,943 --> 00:45:38,783 By now, you've probably heard about this. 885 00:45:38,783 --> 00:45:42,083 Taylor Swift Scooter Braun drama. 886 00:45:42,083 --> 00:45:43,483 Variety reported this week 887 00:45:43,483 --> 00:45:46,043 that Scooter Braun's company, Ithaca Holdings, 888 00:45:46,043 --> 00:45:47,843 recently sold the master rights 889 00:45:47,843 --> 00:45:50,283 to the pop star's first six albums 890 00:45:50,283 --> 00:45:53,883 to an investment firm for more than $300,000,000. 891 00:45:54,643 --> 00:45:55,683 [Zing] It went everywhere. 892 00:45:55,683 --> 00:45:57,943 Every single news outlet covered it. 893 00:45:57,943 --> 00:46:01,813 Scooter Braun sold Big Machine on to another private equity firm, 894 00:46:01,813 --> 00:46:04,613 but with the caveat that he would still keep profiting 895 00:46:04,613 --> 00:46:07,443 from Taylor's masters. Like, that is a specific clause 896 00:46:07,443 --> 00:46:09,243 that he demanded to be included. 897 00:46:10,243 --> 00:46:11,783 [Brittany] Taylor had posted her own statement 898 00:46:11,783 --> 00:46:13,983 in response to this, talking about her disgust 899 00:46:13,983 --> 00:46:17,883 that she had tried to negotiate with Scooter to buy back her masters. 900 00:46:17,883 --> 00:46:20,883 And so, therefore, it was another set of hands 901 00:46:20,883 --> 00:46:23,643 that were now in control of Taylor's music. 902 00:46:23,643 --> 00:46:26,083 [reading]"As soon as we started communication with Shamrock, 903 00:46:26,083 --> 00:46:27,643 I learned that under their terms, 904 00:46:27,643 --> 00:46:29,313 Scooter Braun will continue to profit 905 00:46:29,313 --> 00:46:31,643 off my old musical catalog for many years." 906 00:46:32,913 --> 00:46:35,813 [Richard]Scooter Braun continued to share in revenue 907 00:46:35,813 --> 00:46:37,443 under his deal with Shamrock, 908 00:46:38,013 --> 00:46:39,143 even going forward. 909 00:46:39,143 --> 00:46:40,913 That was a big deal for her. 910 00:46:42,383 --> 00:46:45,383 Taylor actually addressed Shamrock 911 00:46:45,383 --> 00:46:49,283 in one of her posts, saying that, you know, 912 00:46:49,283 --> 00:46:51,483 I would have been happy to work with you 913 00:46:51,483 --> 00:46:53,183 with respect to my recordings. But... 914 00:46:53,183 --> 00:46:54,913 what has happened is so unfair. 915 00:46:54,913 --> 00:46:57,743 I'm going to be re recording my original recordings. 916 00:46:57,743 --> 00:47:00,543 [reading]"I know this will diminish the value of my old masters, 917 00:47:00,543 --> 00:47:02,783 but I hope you understand that this is the only way 918 00:47:02,783 --> 00:47:04,883 to regain the sense of pride I once had 919 00:47:04,883 --> 00:47:07,683 when hearing songs from my first six albums, 920 00:47:07,683 --> 00:47:10,613 and also allowing my fans to listen to those albums 921 00:47:10,613 --> 00:47:13,783 without feelings of guilt for benefiting Scooter." 922 00:47:13,783 --> 00:47:16,143 There was kind of a conversation started amongst fans themselves 923 00:47:16,143 --> 00:47:18,383 when this happened about whether it was truly ethical 924 00:47:18,383 --> 00:47:21,283 to be listening to her old work at all at this point. 925 00:47:21,283 --> 00:47:22,513 Because the theory goes 926 00:47:22,513 --> 00:47:24,613 that you are indirectly lining Scooter's pockets 927 00:47:24,613 --> 00:47:27,013 and adding to the insult of Taylor, 928 00:47:27,013 --> 00:47:29,143 by continuing to stream this music. 929 00:47:29,143 --> 00:47:32,213 [crowd clamoring] 930 00:47:32,213 --> 00:47:35,883 [Alex]I think Taylor has shown throughout her entire career 931 00:47:35,883 --> 00:47:38,843 that in the face of any adversity, 932 00:47:38,843 --> 00:47:43,413 do not think that you can outwit or outsmart or outplay her. 933 00:47:43,413 --> 00:47:45,583 She has shown so many times 934 00:47:45,583 --> 00:47:48,643 that she will stand up for what's right. 935 00:47:48,643 --> 00:47:51,243 [Mikael] She's turned it into a moral battle. 936 00:47:51,243 --> 00:47:54,213 She made everybody look at what was right. 937 00:47:54,213 --> 00:47:56,583 It's about Taylor Swift's right 938 00:47:56,583 --> 00:47:59,543 to be in charge of her legacy. 939 00:48:00,683 --> 00:48:04,183 [Zing] It's turning this contractual boardroom fight 940 00:48:04,183 --> 00:48:05,843 into something much bigger, 941 00:48:05,843 --> 00:48:08,443 which is about feminism. It's about women's rights. 942 00:48:08,443 --> 00:48:09,743 It's about artistic women 943 00:48:09,743 --> 00:48:12,113 being able to have control over what they produced. 944 00:48:13,613 --> 00:48:14,783 When push comes to shove, 945 00:48:14,783 --> 00:48:18,113 Taylor is really not afraid of taking a stand, 946 00:48:18,113 --> 00:48:20,783 and she is willing to pursue it to the very last avenue. 947 00:48:29,513 --> 00:48:31,683 [man] Legally, Scooter had the absolute right 948 00:48:31,683 --> 00:48:33,543 to buy this asset. 949 00:48:33,543 --> 00:48:35,643 The truth didn't matter. 950 00:48:35,643 --> 00:48:38,583 She had the ability to rally her fans. 951 00:48:38,583 --> 00:48:42,743 [woman] Tell Scott and Scooter how you feel. 952 00:48:42,743 --> 00:48:46,013 Well, if you know Taylor Swift's fan base, 953 00:48:46,013 --> 00:48:49,383 one could imagine any number of reactions. 954 00:48:49,383 --> 00:48:51,713 When it gets to a place where there's death threats, 955 00:48:51,713 --> 00:48:52,983 I just think it's got out of hand. 956 00:48:55,213 --> 00:48:57,383 ♪ I tell my soul♪ 957 00:48:57,383 --> 00:48:59,543 ♪ Only love forgives♪ 958 00:48:59,543 --> 00:49:01,513 ♪ Only love forgives♪ 959 00:49:01,513 --> 00:49:03,213 ♪ Tell my soul♪ 960 00:49:03,813 --> 00:49:06,043 ♪ Only love forgives♪ 961 00:49:06,043 --> 00:49:08,013 ♪ Only love forgives♪ 962 00:49:08,013 --> 00:49:09,843 ♪ Tell my soul♪ 963 00:49:09,843 --> 00:49:12,383 ♪ My soul ♪ 964 00:49:12,383 --> 00:49:15,913 ♪ Only love, Only love forgives♪