Who is Scott Borchetta, who signed Taylor Swift in 2005? The music exec founded Big Machine Records and then sold the label – and Swift’s masters – to Justin Bieber’s former manager, Scooter Braun

Nov 7 , 2024

Singer Taylor Swift and Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta at the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Getty Images

After making his name for himself in the Nashville music scene as a bassist and then a record label exec, Borchetta established his own label; he sold the company in 2019 but remains in control as CEO

Scott Borchetta, the founder and CEO of Taylor Swift’s former record label, took to Instagram on November 3 to pen a heartfelt tribute to the billion-dollar artist to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their first meeting. Needless to say, Swifties are livid.

In case you missed it, Swift and Borchetta had a notorious falling out in 2019. Per People, Swift has previously said that “for years” she pleaded with Borchetta “for a chance to own” her work, but he’d refused. So, in 2018, she left the label after 12 years, knowing that one day, Borchetta would sell Big Machine Records – and her masters with it. That prediction came true when the Big Machine Records CEO sold the company – and Swift’s works – to fellow record executive Scooter Braun, formerly Justin Bieber’s manager, igniting one of the music industry’s most bitter feuds.

Borchetta and Braun were also responsible for preventing Swift from performing her songs at the 2019 American Music Awards, where she received the Artist of the Decade award.

In his Instagram post featuring a throwback photo of the “Love Story” singer performing in a cafe, Borchetta wrote, “It was 20 years ago today … a Beatles reference may not be too far off the mark … Today marks the 20th anniversary of my first meeting with Taylor. A day that changed both of our lives. Always proud of the art and the work she did while we were together … and just as proud of her now. Keep crushing it.”

Borchetta’s nostalgic caption apparently set Swifties off, with many claiming that he’d betrayed her with his actions in 2019 and shouldn’t be posting about her. “Scott Borchetta, the man who sold Swift’s masters without her knowledge and prior consent, was seen grasping at straws by posting about her on Instagram,” wrote one frustrated user on X (formerly Twitter).

Another wrote: “It’s beyond disrespectful for Scott Borchetta to even mention Taylor. He sold her life’s work against her wishes, and now he’s trying to cash in on her legacy with empty nostalgia?”

So what do we know about Scott Borchetta, the man who signed a then 14-year-old Taylor Swift?

Scott Borchetta was a bass guitarist

Scott Borchetta is the founder of Big Machine Records. Photo: @scott.borchetta/Instagram

Before Borchetta made a name for himself as the CEO of Big Machine Records, he was a musician. In his early days, he was a bass player for various country and rock bands.