The music industry was rocked in 2019 by the high-stakes, deeply personal battle between global superstar Taylor Swift and music executive Scooter Braun over the ownership of Swift’s master recordings. When Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, acquired her former label, Big Machine Records, he gained control of Swift’s entire catalog from her 2006 debut through her 2017 album, Reputation—effectively seizing over a decade of her creative work. Swift publicly denounced the move as “incessant, manipulative bullying,” and one of the first and most powerful voices to support her was her longtime best friend, Selena Gomez, whose raw, emotional open letter exposed the industry’s “dark secrets” of greed and manipulation.
The Acquisition: Losing a Decade of Art
In June 2019, Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings purchased Big Machine Records in a massive deal rumored to be worth over $300 million. This acquisition immediately stripped Swift of the ownership of the master recordings of her first six studio albums. Swift immediately took to Tumblr to express her devastation, revealing she was never given a fair opportunity to buy her masters and was horrified that her life’s work would lie in the hands of someone she considered a long-time “bully.”
The controversy escalated further in November 2019 when Swift claimed that Braun and Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta were actively blocking her from performing her older songs at the American Music Awards (AMAs) or using them in her upcoming Netflix documentary unless she agreed to stop re-recording her music and “stop talking about him and Scooter Braun.” This action was widely perceived as a punitive attempt to silence her.
The Midnight Letter: Accusing “Greed, Manipulation and Power”
As the dispute raged and celebrities began to align themselves on either “Team Swift” or “Team Braun,” Selena Gomez—who has been Swift’s best friend for over 13 years—could not remain silent. In an emotional, midnight post on her Instagram Stories (in mid-November 2019), Gomez directly and unapologetically denounced the executives’ actions, throwing her own career support behind her friend and risking the ire of one of the industry’s most powerful figures.
Gomez’s letter was fiercely personal, revealing the emotional stakes:
“My heart is so heavy right now. It makes me sick and extremely angry,” Gomez wrote. She went straight to the core of the industry’s malaise, accusing the executives of being motivated by “greed, manipulation and power.”
She continued, “You’ve robbed and crushed one of the best songwriters of our time an opportunity to celebrate all of her music with fans and the world… No respect for the words my friend has written since she was a 14 year old in her bedroom.” Gomez, who briefly dated Justin Bieber, one of Braun’s clients, even added, “(I don’t mind if there may be retaliation) this is my opinion.”
Gomez’s statement, posted at a crucial moment in the dispute, gave a human face to the legal fight, painting Swift not just as a global celebrity but as a “fearless, feisty, strongest woman” who was being punished for daring to speak out. Her direct condemnation helped solidify the public narrative that this was not merely a business dispute, but a case of power dynamics attempting to silence an artist.
Notable Events: The Data of Retaliation
Selena Gomez’s bold defense, alongside other artists like Halsey and Cara Delevingne, was a critical turning point that validated Swift’s claims and fueled a historic strategy:
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The Fearless Reference: Gomez referenced Swift’s early album Fearless, which was an album included in the sale. Fearless was certified Diamond in the U.S. and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2010, demonstrating the immense creative and financial value that was transferred.
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The Re-Recording Strategy: The dispute prompted Taylor Swift to embark on a massive, unprecedented undertaking: re-recording her first six albums (releasing them as Taylor’s Version). The re-recordings were a huge commercial success, with Fearless (Taylor’s Version) hitting Number 1 on the Billboard 200, generating new, self-owned masters that substantially devalued Braun’s purchase.
Selena Gomez’s midnight open letter was more than an act of friendship; it was a powerful moment of celebrity solidarity that helped catalyze Swift’s triumphant, history-making fight for creative control.