Scooter Braun has announced his retirement from music management.
The executive shared the news in a statement via Instagram.
“23 years ago a 19-year-old kid started managing an artist named Cato in Atlanta, GA and my journey began. Along the way I have had so many experiences I could never have dreamt of,” he wrote on Monday morning.
“I have been blessed to have had a Forrest Gump-like life while witnessing and taking part in the journeys of some of the most extraordinarily talented people the world has ever seen. I’m constantly pinching myself and asking ‘how did I get here?’ And after 23 years this chapter as a music manager has come to an end.”
“The sacrifices I was once willing to make I could no longer justify,” he added. “It was time to step into a new role.”
Braun—who is well known for working with Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande—will instead focus on his family and his role as CEO of Hybe America. The 42-year-old shares three kids, sons Jagger and Levi, and daughter Hart, with ex-wife Yael Cohen.
“Over the past 2 years I have been heading towards this destination, but 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,” Braun explained. “We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt I saw it as a sign.”
He mentioned Bieber and Grande by name, saying he takes “great pride and honor” in their successes. The news arrives almost a year after reports emerged that multiple artists had severed ties with Braun as their music manager—something which he also addressed in his statement.
“There has been a lot said about what is happening in our company… and in my career,” he said. “When we had success I smiled, and when we were attacked I tried to always take the high road. But for the last 3 years I have begun to feel that taking the high road has created confusion and ambiguity as to who we are.”
He shared that he has named Allison Kaye and Jennifer McDaniels as his successors at management company SB Projects.
Over the last few years, Braun’s reputation took a nosedive when he acquired the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums by purchasing Big Machine Record Group. Swift and her fans publicly slammed him for his actions, and the 2019 move prompted her to re-record her records. Braun later sold the catalog for $300 million to Shamrock Holdings, then sold his company Ithaca Holdings to Hybe for $1.05 billion. He joined Hybe as CEO in January 2023.
Scooter's rep took another hit when rumors swirled last year that artists were dropping him, including Bieber and Grande, which Braun initially denied. The reports were later confirmed to be true. In addition to Grande and Bieber, Braun has worked with Usher, J Balvin, Quavo, YG, David Guetta, Demi Lovato, Lil Dicky, and Carly Rae Jepsen, among others. He commemorated a number of those relationships in a slew of IG posts, all captioned "23 years."
