Scooter Braun said he had no “malicious intent” when he acquired the rights to Taylor Swift’s back catalogue.
The talent manager’s company, Ithaca Holdings, announced in June that it had bought Big Machine Label Group, which released Swift’s first six studio albums and owns her masters.
Swift described the move as her “worst case scenario” and accused Braun, whose clients include Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, of “incessant, manipulative bullying.”
Addressing the controversy on the Wide Open podcast, Braun said: “I don’t do anything with malicious intent. I try to do things above board. I try to do the right thing.
“Not everyone’s going to be happy with everything that you do, and I think in the long term – I’ve learned this over time – the truth always comes out, and I’m confident in that.”
Standard Online has contacted Swift’s representatives for further comment.
Swift joined Big Machine at the age of 15 and stayed with the label for 13 years, until her contract expired in November 2018.
Taylor Swift – In pictures
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Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert at Club Nomadic
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift with her cat Meredith
Taylor Swift
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Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne and Taylor Swift take to the water slide for their 4th July celebrations
Cara Delevingne/Instagram
4/54
Kanye West jumps onstage after Taylor Swift wins the ‘Best Female Video’ award during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
Getty Images
5/54 Feud
Taylor Swift and Katy Perry in 2010
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift attends the 46th annual CMA Awards in 2012 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift performs at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift performs at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory
Getty Images
9/54 Good friends
Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift in 2013
Getty Images
10/54 Red alert
Swift poses in a red minidress at the Jingle Bell Ball in 2014
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
11/54
Taylor Swift attends the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York
Getty Images
12/54 Trophies
Taylor Swifts poses with all her gongs at the Billboard Awards in 2015
Invision/AP
13/54
Swift performs in 2015 to a packed-out arena in Glasgow
Getty Images for TAS
14/54 Mummy’s girl
Swift accepts the Milestone Award from mum Andrea Swift on stage at the Academy Of Country Music Awards in 2015
Getty Images
15/54 Intimate snap
Taylor Swift with then-boyfriend Calvin Harris
16/54
Taylor Swift appeared to mock Kim Kardashian’s robbery ordeal in a video at the MTV Video Awards
17/54 New couple
Taylor Swift posts her first photo on Instagram with then-boyfriend Calvin Harris
18/54 Comedy skills
Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon goof around in basketball gear on The Tonight Show in 2015
NBC/Getty Images
19/54 Duet
Madonna and Taylor Swift perform together during the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Getty Images
20/54 Chart-topper
The star performs during her 1989 tour in 2015
Invision/AP
21/54 On stage
Performing during her 1989 world tour in LA in 2015
Getty Images
22/54 Stylish
Taylor Swift attends the Elle Style Awards in 2015
Getty Images
23/54
Taylor Swift performs during the BRIT Awards at The O2 Arena in 2015
Getty Images
24/54
Taylor Swift performs onstage during The 1989 World Tour Live In Los Angeles at Staples Center in 2015
Getty Images for TAS
25/54
Taylor Swift, winner of the International Female Solo Artist Award, poses in the winners room during the BRIT Awards 2015
Getty Images
26/54 Award-winning
Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards in 2015
Getty Images
27/54
Taylor Swift attends the ‘Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology’ Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift, winner of the awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for “1989” and Best Music Video for “Bad Blood,” poses in the press room during The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
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Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift attend The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift attends the 64th Annual BMI Pop Awards in 2016
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift and then-boyfriend Tom Hiddleston in 2016
Rex
32/54
Taylor Swift attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift performs onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift attends The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
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The official music video for Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik’s single “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from the film Fifty Shades Darker
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Taylor Swift starring in an Apple promotional video campaign in April 2016
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Taylor Swift in ‘Family Secrets’
Taylor Swift/Twitter
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Taylor Swift on the cover of the May 2016 issue of Vogue Magazine
Vogue Magazine
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Taylor Swift out and about in New York in 2016
Rex
40/54
In this courtroom sketch, the pop singer speaks from the witness stand during a trial against David Mueller in 2017
AP
41/54
Taylor Swift hosts fans at her home in Rhode Island in 2017
42/54
Taylor Swift returns with her 2017 album Reputation
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Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert at Club Nomadi
Getty Images
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Taylor swift accepts the Artist of the Year award during the 2018 American Music Awards
Getty Images
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Taylor preforms ANZ Stadium in Sydney in 2018
Getty Images
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Taylor Swift attends the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Rich Polk/Getty
47/54
Taylor Swift joins Idris Elba onstage during the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2019
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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Taylor Swift attends Gigi Hadid’s birthday party at Chalet in New York
SplashNews.com
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Taylor Swift performs during the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Dinner at Jazz at Lincoln Center on 23 April 2019 in New York
Getty Images for TIME
50/54
Taylor Swift poses upon arriving for the Time 100 Gala celebrating Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in New York
Reuters
51/54
Taylor Swift performs with Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco in Las Vegas, NV, USA
Getty Images
52/54
Taylor Swift performing during the filming of the Graham Norton Show in London, England
PA
53/54
Taylor and Katy Perry make up in her video You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift
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Taylor Swift performs onstage at 2019 iHeartRadio Wango Tango
Getty Images for iHeartMedia
1/54
Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert at Club Nomadic
Getty Images
2/54
Taylor Swift with her cat Meredith
Taylor Swift
3/54
Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne and Taylor Swift take to the water slide for their 4th July celebrations
Cara Delevingne/Instagram
4/54
Kanye West jumps onstage after Taylor Swift wins the ‘Best Female Video’ award during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
Getty Images
5/54 Feud
Taylor Swift and Katy Perry in 2010
Getty Images
6/54
Taylor Swift attends the 46th annual CMA Awards in 2012 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
Getty Images
7/54
Taylor Swift performs at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory
Getty Images
8/54
Taylor Swift performs at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory
Getty Images
9/54 Good friends
Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift in 2013
Getty Images
10/54 Red alert
Swift poses in a red minidress at the Jingle Bell Ball in 2014
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
11/54
Taylor Swift attends the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York
Getty Images
12/54 Trophies
Taylor Swifts poses with all her gongs at the Billboard Awards in 2015
Invision/AP
13/54
Swift performs in 2015 to a packed-out arena in Glasgow
Getty Images for TAS
14/54 Mummy’s girl
Swift accepts the Milestone Award from mum Andrea Swift on stage at the Academy Of Country Music Awards in 2015
Getty Images
15/54 Intimate snap
Taylor Swift with then-boyfriend Calvin Harris
16/54
Taylor Swift appeared to mock Kim Kardashian’s robbery ordeal in a video at the MTV Video Awards
17/54 New couple
Taylor Swift posts her first photo on Instagram with then-boyfriend Calvin Harris
18/54 Comedy skills
Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon goof around in basketball gear on The Tonight Show in 2015
NBC/Getty Images
19/54 Duet
Madonna and Taylor Swift perform together during the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Getty Images
20/54 Chart-topper
The star performs during her 1989 tour in 2015
Invision/AP
21/54 On stage
Performing during her 1989 world tour in LA in 2015
Getty Images
22/54 Stylish
Taylor Swift attends the Elle Style Awards in 2015
Getty Images
23/54
Taylor Swift performs during the BRIT Awards at The O2 Arena in 2015
Getty Images
24/54
Taylor Swift performs onstage during The 1989 World Tour Live In Los Angeles at Staples Center in 2015
Getty Images for TAS
25/54
Taylor Swift, winner of the International Female Solo Artist Award, poses in the winners room during the BRIT Awards 2015
Getty Images
26/54 Award-winning
Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards in 2015
Getty Images
27/54
Taylor Swift attends the ‘Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology’ Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016
Getty Images
28/54
Taylor Swift, winner of the awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for “1989” and Best Music Video for “Bad Blood,” poses in the press room during The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
29/54
Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift attend The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
30/54
Taylor Swift attends the 64th Annual BMI Pop Awards in 2016
Getty Images
31/54
Taylor Swift and then-boyfriend Tom Hiddleston in 2016
Rex
32/54
Taylor Swift attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Getty Images
33/54
Taylor Swift performs onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
34/54
Taylor Swift attends The 58th GRAMMY Awards in 2016
Getty Images
35/54
The official music video for Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik’s single “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from the film Fifty Shades Darker
36/54
Taylor Swift starring in an Apple promotional video campaign in April 2016
37/54
Taylor Swift in ‘Family Secrets’
Taylor Swift/Twitter
38/54
Taylor Swift on the cover of the May 2016 issue of Vogue Magazine
Vogue Magazine
39/54
Taylor Swift out and about in New York in 2016
Rex
40/54
In this courtroom sketch, the pop singer speaks from the witness stand during a trial against David Mueller in 2017
AP
41/54
Taylor Swift hosts fans at her home in Rhode Island in 2017
42/54
Taylor Swift returns with her 2017 album Reputation
43/54
Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2017 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert at Club Nomadi
Getty Images
44/54
Taylor swift accepts the Artist of the Year award during the 2018 American Music Awards
Getty Images
45/54
Taylor preforms ANZ Stadium in Sydney in 2018
Getty Images
46/54
Taylor Swift attends the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Rich Polk/Getty
47/54
Taylor Swift joins Idris Elba onstage during the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2019
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
48/54
Taylor Swift attends Gigi Hadid’s birthday party at Chalet in New York
SplashNews.com
49/54
Taylor Swift performs during the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Dinner at Jazz at Lincoln Center on 23 April 2019 in New York
Getty Images for TIME
50/54
Taylor Swift poses upon arriving for the Time 100 Gala celebrating Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in New York
Reuters
51/54
Taylor Swift performs with Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco in Las Vegas, NV, USA
Getty Images
52/54
Taylor Swift performing during the filming of the Graham Norton Show in London, England
PA
53/54
Taylor and Katy Perry make up in her video You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift
54/54
Taylor Swift performs onstage at 2019 iHeartRadio Wango Tango
Getty Images for iHeartMedia
She then signed a new record deal with Republic Records and Universal Music Group, who released her seventh studio album Lover in August.
The ten-time Grammy winner has since revealed that she “absolutely” intends to re-record her back catalogue.
Clarifying her plans in an interview with Good Morning America in August, the singer confirmed: “That’s true and it’s something that I’m very excited about doing because my contract says that starting November 2020, so next year I can record albums one through five all over again, so I’m very excited about it.
“I think artists deserve to own their work. I just feel very passionately about that.”
Additional reporting by Press Association.
