Taylor Swift performs during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter | WireImage | Getty Images
Taylor Swift’s public feud with music industry executives Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun continued Thursday when she claimed on social media they were “exercising tyrannical control” and blocking her from performing her old music at the American Music Awards, where she will be honored with the Artist of the Decade Award on Nov. 24.
Swift addressed her fans in a lengthy post titled: “”Don’t know what else to do,” asking them to let Borchetta and Braun know how they feel about this:
“Guys – It’s been announced recently that the American Music Awards will be honoring me with the Artist of the Decade Award at this year’s ceremony. I’ve been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show. Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun have now said that I’m not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be re-recording my music before I’m allowed to next year.”
Swift also said in the post that Netflix had made a documentary about her life and that Borchetta and Braun did not allow the use of her old songs for this project as well.
“Additionally – and this isn’t the way I had planned on telling you this news – Netflix has created a documentary about my life for the past few years,” Swift wrote. “Scott and Scooter have declined the use of my older music or performance footage for this project, even though there is no mention of either of them or Big Machine Records anywhere in the film.”
In her statement, Swift said Borchetta told her team they would be allowed to use her music only if she agreed to not re-record copycat versions of her songs next year – “which is something I’m both legally allowed to do and looking forward to,” she added. “The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, be a good little girl and shut up. Or you’ll be punished.”
Taylor asked her fans to help her and ended it by saying: “I love you guys and I thought you should know what’s been going on.”
“Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work. Please ask them for help with this – I’m hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote. I’m especially asking for help from The Carlyle Group, who put up money for the sale of my music to these two men,” her statement said.
CNBC has reached out to Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun for comment.
Back in July, Taylor Swift’s lawyer denied she was given an opportunity to buy back her masters from Big Machine Label Group, as Borchetta has claimed.
The fight, which led to the #WeStandWithTaylor hashtag trending on Twitter, began when Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, announced it will acquire Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group. Swift began her career at the label, where she remained until she signed with Universal Music Group in Nov. 2018.
After the acquisition was announced, Swift took to Tumblr, calling the acquisition — which includes the handing over of her first six albums — her “worst case scenario.”
– CNBC’s Mallika Mitra contributed reporting.