Music Exec Calls Out Taylor Swift for Lies and Bully Tactics Over Music Catalog Sale

Taylor Swift is getting pushback after she posted a rant complaining about the sale of her music catalog to entertainment manager Scooter Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings. Swift said she is “sad and grossed out” by the sale and that she didn’t know it was happening until it was done.

This latest Swiftian drama sparked when Braun re-posted (and later deleted) a friend on Instagram saying Braun “bought” Taylor Swift.

Swift claimed in her post that Borchetta bullied her, didn’t promote her enough early on and didn’t give her the chance to purchase her catalog.

Erik Logan’s defense

Erik Logan, a board member for Big Machine Records and former Oprah Winfrey Network executive, says her claims are lies.

Ithaca Holdings bought Swift’s catalog of past albums from Scott Borchetta’s old record label, Big Machine Records, for $300 million.

Logan posted a lengthy and scathing letter to Swift on Twitter, accusing her of lying and bullying.

“Somewhere you have told a story to yourself that you have the right to change history, facts and re-frame every any story you want to fix with any narrative you wish,” Logan wrote.

“But, as someone who has been by Scott’s side from before you were born, I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and allow you to rewrite history and bend the truth to justify your lack of understanding of a business deal.”

Logan went on to say, “The facts will come out, you will be proven wrong and people will begin to see that the world you perpetuate, only through your lens, is NOT reality.”

The letter has since been deleted.

History of catalog buying

Contentious music catalog sales are a hallmark of the music industry. Music catalogs for popular songs and bands can be highly profitable due to copyright fees for use.

Michael Jackson notoriously bought The Beatles master catalog out from under his friend-at-the-time, Paul McCartney. McCartney has since tried to buy up as much of his music as possible since Jackson’s death.

On the other side of music relationships, Dolly Parton bought her mentor Porter Wagoner’s entire catalog when he fell on hard times and later graciously gave it back to him for free.

Taylor Swift isn’t the first and won’t be the last artist to have her original music bought and sold by profit-seekers. Erik Logan’s threat to show the details of the business deal Swift didn’t care to discuss with anyone has so far been met with silence. Perhaps Logan’s pushback hit home with the drama queen superstar.