Getty Image / Allen Berezovsky
Scooter Braun, the man credited with ‘discovering’ Justin Bieber and managing other high-profile clients like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Zac Brown Band, Quavo, Lil Dicky, and others, is retiring as a music manager.
The Atlanta-based super agent who is also CEO of the Hybe Corporation which manages all aspects of K-Pop megastars BTS, will continue in his role at Hybe but is retiring from music managed after 23 years in the industry. He announced the move on Instagram Monday morning.
In the post, Braun said “after 23 years this chapter as a music manager has come to an end. It’s a strange feeling because I think I have wanted this for a while, but I was truly afraid to answer the question ‘Who would I be without them?’ I was really just 19 years old when I started. And for 20 years I loved it.”
Scooter Braun cited his family as the primary reason for his retirement from music management. Saying “As my children got older, and my personal life took some hits, I came to the realization that my kids were 3 superstars I wasn’t willing to lose.”
Without naming names, it seems like Scooter Braun is talking directly about Justin Bieber here who left Braun last August. Scooter wrote “it wasn’t until last summer that this new chapter became a reality. One of my biggest clients and friends told me that they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction. We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt I saw it as a sign.”
It wasn’t just Justin Bieber who left Scooter Braun. It was Ariana Grande, Asher Roth, Carly Rae Jepsen, Baby Jake, Demi Lovato, J Balvin, and others.
He went on to say “I have nothing but love for those I have worked with over the years, and as we develop a different working relationship, I will always be in their corner to consult and support them whether it be directly or from afar. Every client I have had the privilege of working with has changed my life.”
We also have to mention the bad blood with Taylor Swift… Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Records in 2019 through is Ithaca Holdings. Big Machine Records owned the masters to Taylor Swift’s albums.
Braun played perhaps the largest part in ‘Taylor’s Version’ becoming a thing as she went about re-recording all of her albums so she would own the masters. He reportedly offered to let her buy the masters back but it would require an “ironclad NDA” that would only allow Taylor to speak favorably about Braun and that forced her to walk away.
Again, he’s not retiring from the industry. Scooter Braun is just retiring from music management. He will still be CEO of the company that manages all aspects of BTS (Hybe Corporation).
As recently as 2021, Scooter Braun’s net worth was estimated at over $1 billion. Not bad for a 42-year-old who went to Emory in Atlanta but didn’t graduate.