Major heavyweights of the pop industry cut ties with manager. Scott “Scooter” Braun this week.
According to Billboard, Ariana Grande first announced she was no longer managed by SB Projects on Monday after working with the media mogul for a decade. On Tuesday, a source familiar with the situation told USA Today that Demi Lovato was seeking new management after parting ways with SB Projects last month, noting an “amicable split.”
Grande and Lovato aren’t alone in their decision; another source familiar with the situation said that Broadway’s Idina Menzel parted ways with Braun in January, and Raggae star J. Balvin left Braun’s company to work with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in May.
According to the Associated Press, representatives for Carly Rae Jepsen, BabyJake, and Asher Roth confirmed that those artists no longer work with Braun.
Most notably, Braun’s longtime client Justin Bieber reportedly had a silent split earlier this month, Puck News reported. The publication noted that the pair hadn’t been in contact for months and Bieber was looking for an exit despite being under contract, though a public statement has not been issued by either party.
The manager took to X following the announcements this week with a tongue-in-cheek comment.
Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself
— Scott “Scooter” Braun (@scooterbraun) August 22, 2023
Braun has been under fire since 2019 due to a controversy with pop superstar Taylor Swift. After he bought Swift’s record label Big Machine Records in 2019, Braun purchased ownership of to Swift’s master recordings and sold them to an investment company.
Swift has since re-recorded and released the albums as new masters, dubbed “Taylor’s Version.” Her latest re-recording of the 2014 album 1989 is due in October.
