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Taylor Swift unleashes on industry foe during Billboard event

Taylor Swift has unleashed on her industry foe during a brutal 15-minute speech at a high-profile music event.

Taylor Swift puts Scooter Braun on blast during Billboard event

No subtlety here.

While accepting the first-ever Woman of the Decade honour at the Billboard Women in Music event, Taylor Swift has slammed industry foe Scooter Braun and the institutionalised sexism she says she’s experienced at the hands of the recording industry.

Swift, who turned 30 on Friday, also called out those who supported Braun when she first blasted his acquisition of her master recordings through his purchase of her old record label.

“Lately, there’s been a new shift that’s affected me personally and I feel is a potentially harmful force in our industry,” she said during her 15-minute-long speech.

“And that is the unregulated world of private equity coming in and buying up our music as if it was real estate, as if it’s an app. This just happened to me without my approval, consultation or consent.”

Swift at the Billboard Women In Music 2019, presented by YouTube Music, on December 12, 2019 in Los Angeles. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Swift at the Billboard Women In Music 2019, presented by YouTube Music, on December 12, 2019 in Los Angeles. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Swift went on to specifically name Braun and detail their recent spat before calling out “toxic male privilege”.

“The definition of the toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying ‘But he’s always been nice to me,’ when I’m raising valid concerns about artists and their right to own their music,” she said. “Of course he’s nice to you. If you’re in this room, he has something that he needs.

“The fact is that private equity is what enabled this man to think, according to his own social media post, that he could ‘buy me,’ but I’m obviously not going willingly.”

Braun has maintained that he’s reached out to the Lover singer numerous times in order to smooth over their ongoing feud but he claims his attempts prove futile.

On Thursday, however, Swift revealed she hasn’t heard from anyone from Braun’s group, Ithaca Holdings.

“Yet, to this day, none of these investors have ever bothered to contact me or my team directly, to perform their due diligence on their investment, on their investment in me, to ask how I might feel about the new owner of my art — the music I wrote, the videos I created, photos of me, my handwriting, my album designs,” she continued. “And of course, Scooter never contacted me or my team to discuss it prior to the sale, or even when it was announced.”

Swift’s feud with Braun has played out very publicly. Picture: Bridget Bennett/AFP
Swift’s feud with Braun has played out very publicly. Picture: Bridget Bennett/AFP
Braun has claimed he’s received death threats in the wake of the drama. Picture: Steven Ferdman/AFP
Braun has claimed he’s received death threats in the wake of the drama. Picture: Steven Ferdman/AFP

Despite what she said in her speech, Swift previously appeared to admit to Vogue that she passed on the opportunity to purchase her masters.

“It was either investing in my past or my and other artists’ future, and I chose the future,” Swift told the publication of the deal she struck with UMG.

At the time the news of Braun’s acquisition of her masters went public, a source also confirmed to Page Six that the pop star had “months” to buy back her masters but chose to “walk away” in favour of a new deal with Universal.

“In the entire time of negotiations, she never once reached out about wanting her masters,” our source said.

This article originally appeared in the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/taylor-swift-unleashes-on-industry-foe-during-billboard-event/news-story/2e799b34966234c13204dfaf45faa083