Big Machine Label Group call Taylor Swift’s claims “false information” in new statement
The label feud between Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun from Big Machine Label Group and Taylor Swift has been ongoing and endless, with constant discussions arising over who has the rights to what, and where the line needs to be drawn in the case of creative autonomy.
Recently, Taylor Swift released a statement in regards to being barred by Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun from performing her own songs at the American Music Awards, and also from using her own music in a documentary about her life (to be released soon via Netflix.)
In response to the post, which gained a lot of traction and support from multiple musicians and celebrities, Big Machine Label Group have released a brand new statement, calling Taylor’s claims “false information”, writing that “rumours fester in the absence of communication.” The thesauruses were out for this one.
Check out the full statement below.
“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 honour all of her requests to license her catalogue 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. Rumours 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.”
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.