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Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun Bad Blood: New Season of ‘vs’ Confirms Airing Music Industry’s Biggest Dispute
A new season of the docuseries vs will be aired exploring the feud between Taylor Swift and Scooter Brraun. The two-part documentary will be produced by Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. & Ireland.
A new season of the docuseries vs. will delve into the highly publicized conflict between Taylor Swift and record executive Scooter Braun. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming season, titled Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood, will premiere on Discovery+ in the U.K. and Ireland this June. The production is brought to you by Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. & Ireland.
The focus of the new season is on Braun's acquisition of Big Machine Records in 2019 for $300 million. This deal granted Braun ownership of Swift's first six albums, a move that stirred significant controversy. The transaction sparked a feud between Swift and Braun, leading to public disputes and widespread media attention. As a result of the purchase, Taylor Swift decided to rerelease her previous albums under the name Taylor's Versions.
Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: A feud takes center stage in new docuseries
The dispute between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun has been a source of public intrigue since 2019 when Braun purchased the rights to Swift's first six albums for $300 million. This major acquisition is set to be the focus of a new season of the Discovery+ series vs, with the UK and Max airing it, the network announced on Tuesday.
Swift's response to the deal was to re-record and re-release her earlier albums as Taylor's Versions, a move that has only added to her skyrocketing fame.
The show's logline states that the series will consist of two episodes, each examining a different side of the argument. One episode will focus on Swift's perspective, exploring her claim that the sale of her music catalog happened without her knowledge and that she has been blocked from buying back her masters. The other episode will present Braun's side, where he claims that Swift refused to negotiate and instead incited a public feud by encouraging her fans to rally against him.
These perspectives will be discussed by legal experts, journalists, and music insiders who are familiar with both parties. The series will also delve into broader issues such as music ownership, gender dynamics in the music industry, and the power of fan influence.
Charlotte Reid, WBD U.K. and Ireland networks and streaming’s vice president of commissioning, explained why the feud is so engaging: "Taylor Swift’s dispute with Scooter Braun over the ownership of her music exploded into the mainstream, taking contract law from boardroom to social media and into public interest." She added that the story has had a significant impact on public discourse, sparking debates about fandom and dominating news headlines. Reid also noted that this format has proven popular among Discovery+ viewers, with the vs series continuing to be a hit.
This new project, produced by Optomen, joins a lineup of other high-profile disputes covered by the vs series. Previous episodes have explored the drama between Johnny vs Amber, Kim vs Kanye: The Divorce, and Vardy vs Rooney: The Wagatha Trial.
Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun's feud complete timeline
Taylor Swift's decision to rerecord her early albums, culminating in the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version) on Oct. 27, 2023, has roots in a high-profile music industry dispute. The journey that led to the rerecordings started when music manager Scooter Braun became involved in a deal that transferred ownership of Swift's old music.
The drama escalated in June 2019, when it was announced that Braun's media company, Ithaca Holdings, had acquired Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group for $300 million. Through this transaction, Braun gained ownership of Swift’s first six albums with Big Machine Records—albums that included her self-titled debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation.
Swift left Big Machine Records in 2018 to sign a multiyear contract with Universal Music Group, but the ownership of her earlier works remained with Big Machine Records.
On June 30, 2019, Swift shared a post on Tumblr explaining why she left Big Machine Records and how she felt about Braun acquiring her masters. In her post, she expressed her disappointment and stated that she had pleaded for a chance to own her music. Swift revealed that she had been offered a contract to earn back her music one album at a time, which she declined because she anticipated the label would be sold, taking her music with it.
Swift also mentioned that she found out about Braun's acquisition of her masters through the news, like everyone else, and described the treatment she had received as "incessant, manipulative bullying."
In response to the situation, Swift announced her intention to rerecord her first six albums to regain control over her music. In an appearance on Good Morning America, she stated, “I think artists deserve to own their own work.”
Swift began rereleasing her music in 2021, with Love Story (Taylor's Version) being the first single to drop in February 2021. Subsequent rerecorded albums included Red (Taylor's Version) (2021), Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023), and 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023), each featuring additional vault tracks.
In September 2022, Scooter Braun spoke about the controversy during an interview with NPR. When asked if he would have handled the acquisition differently, Braun acknowledged he would have done things differently. He said, “Yes, I would have. I learned an important lesson from that.”
Braun also shared that he was under the impression that Swift had no interest in her masters. He claimed he had been told by the record agency's owner that Swift declined an opportunity to buy into the ownership of her own music. "So that was the idea I was under," he said during the interview.
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