Here are some photos of Taylor Swift at the Billboard Women in Music event last night in LA. I’ll say something nice at the beginning, Snake Fam: Taylor’s Oscar de la Renta jumpsuit is very cute. It looks like something J.Lo would wear! Something not so nice: lord, I dislike her bangs. Taylor was there because she was named Billboard’s Artist of the Decade, which probably would have been justified if not for Billboard’s continued whitewashing of music – check out their “women of the year” for the 2010s:
Every “Woman of the Year” for @Billboard this decade:
2010: Fergie
2011: Taylor Swift
2012: Katy Perry
2013: P!nk
2014: Taylor Swift
2015: Lady Gaga
2016: Madonna
2017: Selena Gomez
2018: Ariana Grande
2019: Billie Eilish pic.twitter.com/TMaQbjtLDS— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 25, 2019
So, that’s one issue – the erasure of Rihanna, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, just to name a few. But then Taylor Swift made her Artist of the Decade speech and she made it all about her increasingly bizarre narrative, that no one ever contacted her about the business deal of Big Machine’s sale, and how something something TOXIC MALE PRIVILEGE.
Taylor Swift is calling for change in the music industry. On Thursday, Swift, 30, delivered a moving speech, in which she bluntly called out Scooter Braun and slammed the people who tried to hush her as the “definition of toxic male privilege” after she was honored with the first-ever Billboard Woman of the Decade award. Swift passionately explained at Billboard‘s Women in Music awards that in addition to the continuous and unfair plight women face when trying to break into the music industry, there’s a new shift that has “affected me personally.”
“That is the unregulated world of private equity coming in and buying up our music as if it’s real estate,” Swift said. “This just happened to me without my approval, consultation or consent. After I was denied the chance to purchase my music outright, my entire catalog was sold to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings. To this day, none of these investors have ever [contacted me] or my team directly to perform their due diligence on their investment in me to ask how I might feel about the new owner of my art, my music… my handwriting… Of course, Scooter never contacted me or my team to discuss it prior to the sale or even when it was announced.”
“I’m fairly certain he knew exactly how I would feel about it though and let me just say that the definition of toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying, ‘But he’s always been nice to me’ when I’m raising valid concerns about artists and their rights to own their music. Of course, he’s nice to people in this room, you have something he needs. The fact is that private equity is what enabled this man to think, according to his own social media posts, that he could ‘buy me.’ Well, I’m obviously not going willingly.”
*deep sigh* How long do we have to continue to play along with Taylor’s nonsensical narrative? I’m really asking. It would be one thing if she would stick to the complaint about artists owning their own music and make that case on its merits. But then she goes off on this tangent – likely to emphasize just how she’s biggest VICTIM in the world – about how the investors in Ithaca Holdings never, ever contacted her. Like, why would they? She literally refuses to sit down and meet with Scooter Braun (even with lawyers present). She’s lied about what she knew about the sale of Big Machine and when she knew it. And she continues to publicly target Scooter Braun, knowing that her unhinged Snake Fam will continue to threaten and harass his family, and threaten and harass the people working for all of the companies involved.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Me think the truth is somewhere in the middle, because no one is innocent.
My whole issue is two things.First her dad was on the board,I just don’t buy that she didn’t know anything was up.Secondly if your contract was up why not buy the masters at the end of the contract,like did she make an offer but than got outbid so she’s salty that she was outbid by Scooter’s company.I get that there are shades of grey but logically what right did the label have to her to tell her they were selling her masters.
Agreed. I think the issue isn’t in the middle. I don’t think she knew til it was public, because her dad was bound by a non-disclosure. And yes, she was informed before but by the screenshots, it was hours before, right? And the middle of the night where she was at the time. I don’t think getting a text message at 2 a.m. and the news being released at 7 a.m. falls under “She knew ahead of time.”
I do think though that she gambled and lost as far as wanting to leave her record label for a better deal and didn’t secure the rights to the masters because she didn’t realize Scooter would be the one to purchase them.
Tay Tay hasn’t figured out that it’s not that people are on Team Braun, it’s that they don’t like Team Swift. This weird victim mentality of her’s is something that she should have shed like a snakeskin when she was 18. She has a stunted viewpoint that is becoming more apparent the older she gets.
Few things here: because he’s her dad, he has conflict of interest and has stated that he excluded himself from board conversations accordingly, as he is legally required to do. Knowing somethings going on and being included in the conversation are two different things.
Second, and more to the point in my view, why would they offer her the chance to buy her masters before they sold the label when her masters are far and away the most valuable asset? There is absolutely no way they would do that.
I’m not here to say she handles her arguments well, but I believe it is wrong to assume she had opportunities to buy her masters.
No, she was not able to buy her masters. That is why she was talking about private equity in her speech. Basically what is hollowing out the US economy is Wall Street and private equity coming in and “busting out” companies Soprano’s style. They buy a company, using debt as collateral, cut it up into several smaller companies, create a shell company that they own which holds all the valuable goods, and leave the debt with the main company, which eventually has to go bankrupt and fire everybody. If you wonder why all the shopping malls and chain stores and restaurants are disappearing: a lot of wise people bought the land the stores are on. Private equity buys the company, creates an new entity which owns the land and charges the original company a ruinously high rent. Original company goes bankrupt and the investors have a shitton of money and a bunch of nice land they can sell or build on.
They didn’t sell the masters to Taylor because she wanted to use them as music, not as the basis for all sorts of financial feckery. And there is no money in that.
Yes, she was able to buy her master , album-by -album…not outright. That is why she is furious. She is always telling half-truths.
Agree with you @stripe
I believe she had very little heads up, possibly hours.
I believe her dad excused himself from the meetings due to conflict of interests.
I believe she wasn’t given the chance to buy her masters because it would devalue the label. She would have had to buy the whole thing or nothing.
BUT, this is where Taylor loses me, I do think she is mostly angry that it’s Scooter who owns them. I don’t think it’s male privilege at the heart of the problem but how the music industry is set up to make money off the backs of artists.
Personally, I think it’s both.
And I say this as not a fan.
You know, I always thought she was a pretty shrewd business woman. The fact that she can’t comprehend why she wasn’t offered to just buy her masters outright, when they are the most valuable to the label and the label was trying to sell, is beyond me.
The more she talks about this, the more I’m confused by her position. it literally anyone other than scooter had bought her masters, would she have cared? because if not, she kind of loses some of her point about others owning her life’s work. I also desperately wish she would stop trying to make everything a gender issue.
as usual, I agree with her in theory but once she starts trying to deal with it, I often disagree with her actions.
My god she’s exhausting. In theory she might be right like you said, but she’s exhausting.
Re: your second paragraph – I think that weakens her position a great deal. She obviously hates Scooter so its personal to her because of that, but by focusing so much on Scooter she’s losing the forest for the trees. Scooter made a business deal. If it hadn’t been him, it would have been someone else. I think she could have made this into a really big deal about how the music industry is run, who owns the songs, who holds the power, etc, and instead its just becoming about how much she hates Scooter.
Because she is a lifelong bully that is not getting her way (for free). She, due to her family is one of the greatest examples of privilege.
That’s exactly why I believe her when she says she didn’t have the opportunity to buy her masters. There is no way they would give away their Crown Jewels before selling the label, period
Didn’t she try to buy them from Big Machine before there was talk of a sale? It upset her that they were happy to sell if she agreed to make more recordings with them, but she refused because she wanted to be free more than she wanted to make a deal to work more for the masters. Am I remembering this wrong? In any case, it’s standard business practice because they invested in her and wanted to keep their cash cow. She agreed to the new artist deal to work and be promoted in the business. Only the people who get really big, or who get big without a contract (rare) ever get their masters. Most leave them behind to work.
I was reading a mental health article a few weeks ago that discussed suicide rates for different demographic groups in terms of employment, and women in entertainment have the highest suicide rates for women. Entertainment is music, Disneyland, stripping, etc. Most is work you are called to to forced to do because you have nothing else. You can make more money as a stripper as a regular person without education, but someone like Taylor or Lizzo or Rihanna has to work really hard and they take a lot of crap. It’s hard on the psyche no matter where you are in the game, but the ones who get big rewards can afford therapy and wellness (Bey and Rhi).
no, that’s right. her gripe seems to be that she wasn’t allowed to just buy them outright AND switch labels. I don’t know why she would think they would agree to that – there would be really no benefit to the label.
In a way, those findings are not surprising at all. Like you said, they take a lot of crap and people also use that crap to keep less privileged girls and women in line.
I’m honestly just so sick of her and her spin to make herself the biggest victim that ever victimed. Seriously. Enough, lady. Even if this was a shady deal (and I believe some of what she’s saying)- it’s DONE. She has to learn to accept what’s happened and move on. The time to fight publicly was before the contracts were signed and the sale went through. What, does she think she’s going to publicly bully the company into giving her music rights back? What’s her goal here?
I don’t understand that either.
My tinfoil hat is tingling! I think she’s doing this to be the face of feminism this year. Remember when she tried to do that with the whole kanye thing? She made a whole rant about women being taken advantage of and how she was being bullied when she was lying the entire time? She was attempting to be the face of feminism then. Only it backfired on her. I think she’s taking this opportunity to clear her name from the mess that beef created a couple of years ago and be that feminist icon she tried to be then because lord knows she wants a new brand so she can sell music. The same way Kim K is going after politics. It’s all about rebranding.
I am not gonna lie … yes, male privilege is everywhere, but the biggest crime here is that Rihanna and Beyonce are not on that list. Their artistry is EVERYTHING!! No offense to Taylor or Katy Perry … they are super successful, but I have never, ever been more impressed or moved than by the Lemonade Album.
No lies detected.
Yes. Beyonce got crap for years for making bubbly pop and not speaking up politically, then she knocked it out of the park with complexity on Lemonade, and Rhianna’s work never shies away from the hurt real people feel. But they aren’t White. I don’t know how the list works: is it their peers that vote or is it based on sales? Whoever decides either can’t relate or is more interested in the money than how art effects people. It’s a money business.
Ya, this list is just wrong. TS made it twice but Beyonce and Rhianna didn’t make it at all??!! WTF!
Lord, I did not get the Lemonade album at all. Her self-titled Beyonce album, however, is a masterpiece IMO.
It’s clear that she’s playing the victim and “forcing” her fans to bully Scooter because she can’t do anything legally. Point is one day the general public will get exhausted and move on, it happened to Taylor’s dramas before. This way of dealing isn’t helpful, but Taylor doesn’t learn, unfortunately. Bullying Scooter will not make Ithaca Holdings sell your masters to you, Taylor, nor refusing licences (like she’s doing now until she will be able to rerecord) too.
After his family was threatened she should have realized this public spat had gone way too far. She should use her platform tell her fans to knock it off with their own toxic behavior. Taylor, if you can still perform your songs and make a crapton of $$$ you need to let it go. Most of us will never know the financial security you enjoy. I get that it’s not just about the money, but it’s hard to feel sorry for her.
Exactly! This woman thought it was just fine to weaponize her 13 – 15 year old fan base to go after a man and his family. She has 300+ million and an army of professionals to manage her career, and yet here she is, a woman of immense privilege, stooping to (once again) false narratives and bullying.
This.
Lol the Queen of white privilege herself…. pot see Kettle….
It’s a damn shame that TS doesn’t use her visibility and enormous influence over her fanbase to truly champion social issues and better our society. I know she’s spoken out like, a little, but just imagine an army of people directed to donate to Planned Parenthood, volunteer at a rape crisis center, adopt a shelter animal, etc etc, instead of harassing the receptionist at a music company. You know?
Privileged people volunteer for things they see and understand. She doesn’t see or understand regular lives. Her money is more important. Most people are that way. Societies have less empathy in a lot of ways now. No one is around her making her think
About those things. She’s no Mark Ruffalo.
Rihanna sold 200 million more units then Taylor did this decade and she has more than twice as many number one songs as Taylor. Plus RIhanna had to actually overcome poverty to make it whereas Taylor comes from a very wealthy and priviliged family but Taylor is the artist of the decade? Does Donald Trump run Billboard?
Probably. Or his cronies.
Courtney Love told it like it is, years ago. Google it! They said she was crazy. Sure, maybe she is. But that didn’t make her wrong.
The music biz is insanely exploitative. They know exactly what they are doing. And they are doing it on purpose.
Taylor is right to feel aggrieved and taken advantage of. Just because she’s rich doesn’t mean she should be exploited.
That said… WHUT, Bey and Rhi were snubbed for this?!?
I actually don’t think Taylor is lying.
The whiteout showcased on the list is a freaking disgrace.
THIS!!!!!!! This month alone I’ve read (3) autobios from Mowtown stars…all women who were just…DECIMATED by men in the business stealing from them and taking advantage of them…and a LOT of the men were family members….Just because Taylor’s Daddy was on the board that don’t mean ANYTHING…and so I truly have no problem with what Taylor is fighting about…I’m SICK OF MEN…SICK OF THEM…and because so much of her music SHE CREATED was done when she was a CHILD and unable to look out for her OWN long-term interest…yea, I GET IT…I would be pissed…and I would actively…STAY PISSED!
And “Billboard” is just out and out racist…PERIOD!
Yup. Agreed with everything you said.
One of the things Dolly Parton is very proud of is owning all of her songs.
That says a lot about the industry itself.
And Taylor’s dad may be in on the deal, trying to sell his daughter who knows?
We are going wayyyyyy to far with the dislike of Swift here.
I consider her speech brave.
EDIT: to be even more clear. Yes too for the racism. Un-friggin-believable.
Good points, Lala.
Yessss! Fired up Lala is my favorite Lala. You are absolutely right. The music industry is sexist AF. People like to pretend it’s just a (horrific and endemic) problem in country music. I think TF not.
Agreed. Some obvious names are missing.
Taylor Swift is an absolutely garbage human being who can’t articulate a coherent argument without deploying an arsenal of white girl tears as ammunition.
Artists should own their work.
But this utter child loses every argument when she behaves as if an industry wide bullshit practice across time and space is somehow being applied to her just because she’s a girl and everyone knows she doesn’t like Scooter Braun, the meanie poo poo head.
Prince went by a symbol for years in protest of his label. But she really believes Borchata and Braun have it in for her specifically.
And she’s like this because once upon a time a black man embarrassed her on national television which only solidified her self created victim mentality.
Goodbye, Becky.
*applause*
I never liked her, so I admit I am hugely biased, but after the whole “receipts” thing with Kanye and Kim a few years back, it seems pretty obvious that she is not an honest person, and indeed, that she will actively lie about events in the most sociopathic, childish manner.
She had a HAREM. She had a literal harem of high-powered friends that she used to make herself look powerful. That is so gross to me. I’m sure plenty of people wouldn’t mind it, but I find that just about the most anti-feminist thing she has ever done.
She is the definition of toxic white girl privilege. She is the quintessential spoiled brat.
ALL OF THIS
The poster child for white privilege looks amazing in that jumpsuit – that’s all I came to say.
Rihanna should be there where ferg is I guess, it makes 0 sense that fergie is even there. And Beyoncé of course should be there in 2016 for lemonade. Or was it 2015? But yeah no Madonna. Her music was not relevant this last decade let’s be honest. I don’t mind pink, would love to see her life and I thinks that was the year she had that cute breakup song but I don’t see her as relevant enough for «woman of the year » can’t really stand Katy Perry but other people like her and her stuff really sells so I get why she’s there. I agree that Cardis missing.
I don’t find Taylor annoying. Anyone who brings up male privilege is helping. (Unless it turns out to be false allegations I guess.) I don’t care that she brings it up about her specific current issue and doesn’t explain it well. Some people will actually relate to that more than the way Natalie Portman brings it up, not that I mind that way either. We need to talk about it a lot. The fact that I read here at CB that Taylor has a lot of white girl fans, that’s great, that’s a big chunk of the us population… a generation will hopefully internalize that we should speak out agains male privilege and bullying. The women who were popular when I was a teen did not do that. For example Natalie Portman was popular then and did not discuss what she does now. Female stars were gracious and did magazine interviews and tried to seem humble and relatable. That didn’t help me in learning assertiveness at work. I was way too gracious and it takes a mental and emotional toll. Anyways just my opinion
I’m reading this after reading about the election results in England, which really puts things in perspective.
I have no patience for this woman child.
Yup.
The most privileged white rich woman in the world trying to incite more hatred against anyone who doesn’t stick up for her? And calling that feminism? When she was mute for more than a decade on nearly every issue affecting women, gays, and black people?
Sounds on-brand for Taylor.
Both of them are trash. No sympathy for anyone here.
Taylor Swift has no self-awareness. She’s created this persona that’s a mix of put-upon princess and crusading warrior-woman, and she’s completely bought into it as her reality.
She doesn’t really care about issues (or other people) unless they either affect her personally or offer the opportunity for her to play hero or victim. She lives solely for her own narrative. It seems like she’s truly incapable of seeing a world where she’s not a victim/goddess.
Honestly, I think Swift has borderline personality disorder. I’m not a psychiatrist and don’t know the woman personally, so I say that only as my opinion. Maybe she’s just a plain old self-absorbed princess. Whatever the case, I wish she would step back and realize that her energy could be more productively directed elsewhere.
Ive met women who seemingly only feel powerful if theyre mad at someone or something. Its like they feel that is their only currency.
I follow a page on criticizing the culture the Duggars are in and makes really good points like needing to victimize themselves which is the same mentality taylor has
Grow up Taylor be mature and handle ur business if scooter wants to meet you. That’s how you show your a powerful woman instead of whining about how your the victim. Having your fans bully someone isn’t power
Here’s something else to protest T Swift, in the last decade, not a single black woman has been selected as Billboard’s “woman of the year”
Again that’s what lawyers, accountants and the courts are for. Hell even mediators. WTF stop bellyaching and if you really feel strongly about this, file a lawsuit. This continued baloney about her reality is getting tedious and it’s untrue. Most of all it threatens the lives of people running and owning the record company.
Please just file a lawsuit. SUE. Stop bringing it up to us! The court of public opinion will do nothing for you, Taylor.
One of the richest, most successful artists alive right now is complaining about not being made richer. I just can’t. She has no self-awareness. Peak privilege.
I can’t believe I am typing this, but I watched the whole speech and this is the most likable she has been in YEARS. She was quite candid about how desperately and inauthentically she molded her public image into what she thought people wanted. Like, the dating/not dating and the parading her friends around etc. The thing is, nobody told her to live and die by public opinion (no other major celebrities do this), yet she chose to do so and she seems to carry a real sense of resentment and victimhood from that. Which I kiiinda understand? She is obviously still pretty narcissistic but she is also clearly listening to public opinion yet again, and hopefully whatever new version of herself her PR team will craft, will be more self-aware.
I watched the whole speech and I have to say…it was completely unhinged.
I would LOVE to know when she wants to address her toxic rich white female privilege. Other than that…I truly don’t care. I don’t care if she ever gets the rights to her masters.
30 going on 13.
Victim Of The Decade. No one else could even come close.
I cannot understand why the public haven’t cancelled her yet. She’s completely overrated as a singer/performer. Not one song will stand the test of time and go down as a “classic”.
I googled “artists who aren’t signed to a label” and was surprised to find many chart topping young black artists do it, and that’s because they seem aware how if you sign, you are never free. Some are also younger than or same age as Taylor. This tells me she either lets people make decisions for her or she made the decision to sell her freedom and can’t face the music now. But in her mind someone has to be the bad guy. PoC artists have more going against them than white rich women trying to get their music to reach audiences. And these artists did it just through streaming, no marketing push or label backing. Yet somehow, someway, Taylor is the most aggrieved, the most oppressed, the most wronged as she sits on her millions signing a deal has earned her.
Who really cares about her mediocre ass
That is a dreadful list. Selena Gomez? She has zero talent.
I can’t even pretend to care at all about Taylor’s masters fight with all the real stuff that’s going on in this world. You made a bad deal, learn from it and move on. Stomping your feet, throwing a tantrum and sending your crazy fan base after this man is not going to change a thing.