Latest news with #QuestionEverything
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Scooter Braun on Taylor Swift buying masters: 'Everybody in the end won'
Music executive Scooter Braun broke his silence on Taylor Swift buying her master recordings, saying: "The cool part, if you actually pay attention, is everybody in the end won." The comment comes just past the halfway mark of his appearance on the "Question Everything" podcast hosted by Danielle Robay. Around the 46 minute mark, Robay brings up Braun's company Ithaca Holdings and its 2019 acquisition of the rights to Swift's first six albums from Big Machine Label Group along with the work of other artists including Thomas Rhett and Florida Georgia Line. "If people didn't know you from your work with all these artists like [Justin] Bieber and Ariana [Grande], they definitely know you from the Swift saga," Robay said. "What happened?" Braun replied. Notorious Nashville: 2019 was year of feuds with Taylor Swift, Scooter Braun, NFL and cherry trees. In 2019, Taylor Swift told fans in a Tumblr post that she "wasn't given an opportunity to buy" the original recordings of her first six albums. She also said two of Braun's clients — Bieber and Kanye West — had bullied her online and described the sale of her catalog to Braun as her "worst case scenario." On the podcast, Braun responded to Swift's original statement, "Like when Taylor says she wasn't offered the masters, the reason I was under NDA is because we were in negotiations to sell it back to her. I choose to believe her that maybe they didn't tell her." Robay asked, "Who's they?" to which Braun answered, "Her team. Maybe her team didn't tell her, didn't understand the negotiations." In 2020, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock Capital, which sold them back to the superstar in May. Swift shared a letter on her website saying, "I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me... I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead." Taylor Swift's fight to own her music changed recording contracts in ways good and bad Braun explained why, from a business standpoint, he believes everyone came out ahead — despite the controversy. Swift's decision to rerecord her first six albums led to surges in streaming for both the original versions and the newly released "Taylor's Versions." "She's the biggest she's ever been, the biggest artist of all time," he said referencing the global success of her Eras Tour. Braun told Robay he wished one thing had gone differently. "The only thing that I really regret is it's easy to have a monster, if you never meet them," he said. "Taylor and I have only met three times in our life, and I think at that point we hadn't seen each other in two, three years. I was managing people she wasn't a fan of, and she probably saw my name come up and thought, 'I don't like those people so I don't like him.'" The music mogul first met Swift in 2010 when Bieber opened for her on the "Fearless" tour. Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Are scammers becoming more sophisticated?
Odds are, your phone is inundated with text messages every week that are scams. Some of them are very believable and can pull you right in, especially with the increased use of artificial intelligence. In our "Question Everything" segment, WJZ anchor Rick Ritter answers, "Are scammers becoming more sophisticated?" Scam texts can range from a final notice for a traffic ticket, or a missed package delivery that needs to be rescheduled, or even a job recruiter who claims they came across your resume. It's hard to know what's real and what's not. For Baltimore resident Erica C, the chances to make some extra cash pulled her right in. "It's a hard economy enough with stuff like this going on," Erica said. After recently buying a home, Erica was searching for a side job. "I received a message from an anonymous number about a work-from-home opportunity," Erica said. "The thing is, I really was on different websites looking for remote work, and because I left my number on those different sites, I was thinking, 'OK, this is someone reaching out to me.'" "They told me from the beginning they would give me $20 to start out, and that piqued my interest," Erica said. "So this was believable to say the least?" Ritter asked. "It absolutely was believable, and the next day I got even more money," Erica said. From there, Erica was locked in. Her job was to perform simple tasks in the app store, such as taking screenshots and submitting them. While she was doing this, she was in a chat room with what looked like real headshots of other individuals who were working. What started as $20 in her Cash App quickly grew to more than $100. Then, there was a sudden shift. "The next day, they were saying if you send us $300 via Bitcoin, you'll get back $390, so a surplus of $90," Erica said. "I actually went to my bank account and got out another $100, so altogether they got another $130 from me." The pressure increased for her to send even more cash. "That's when I finally started doing research on it and realized this was a scam," Erica said. Ritter asked, "So they pulled you in, and when someone is giving you money, I mean, you think you're working, right?" "Right, I know, it was just so easy," Erica said. "I definitely felt violated and, more importantly, I felt like I let myself down." In 2024, more than $1 trillion was lost to fraud globally because of scams. Maryland alone lost close to $200 million, per reports. "It's not uncommon to see a lot of sad stories like this come across our desk," said Clay Campbell, with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland. "The scammers are preying on the victims' emotions in this kind of economy. It's real money and real people losing this type of money and time. It's sad and not fair." "With artificial intelligence and technology, are scammers becoming more sophisticated these days?" Ritter asked. "Scammers are absolutely becoming more sophisticated," Campbell said. "Before, we used to be able to say look out for grammar, misspelled words, crazy punctuation, but now scammers are able to use AI to create very believable text." Victim losses to scam texts in the U.S. skyrocketed between 2020 and 2024, according to reports. It went from $86 million to $470 million in losses. "The attacks are getting really, really sophisticated. And it just means that we, as individuals, have to be even more vigilant," said cyber security expert Markus Rauschecker. "These kinds of scams are at a scale that we've never seen before, and because of AI technology, it makes it very easy to send out these kinds of attacks at a scale that makes it profitable for them." The good news is, there are some things you can do to protect yourself. Experts say to do this if you believe you are getting scammed: For the scammers, the risk is worth the reward. What's worth it for Erica, at this point, is sharing her story. "If I could save one person from a scam, that's why I showed up today," Erica said. "It's not easy to show up on camera and say, 'Hey guys, I've been fooled. It's just not a good feeling sitting on the other side, and when it's all said and done, these people do not care about our well-being or livelihoods."
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Scooter Braun distances from Kanye West over antisemitic song and reflects on taylor swift feud
Music executive Scooter Braun has publicly distanced himself from Kanye West, citing the rapper's recent antisemitic statements and actions. Speaking on the Question Everything podcast, Braun said, 'I don't know him anymore,' referencing West's social media posts and the release of a controversial song titled Heil Hitler. Braun, who is Jewish and whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, managed West for two to three years prior to the rapper's recent controversies. 'The person that I knew isn't someone who says those things,' Braun explained. 'Sometimes the hardest thing to do with someone you care about is mourn them while they're still here.' He added that he no longer maintains a relationship with West, stating, 'I'd rather stand proudly in who I am and who my people are, and be gracious and kind to all people, than be a part of that.' Asked whether West could be redeemed, Braun responded that his focus is now on raising his children and preparing them for the world. This public break comes amid widespread backlash against West, who has been criticized throughout the year for propagating antisemitic views. In May, West released Heil Hitler, a song that repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler and was dropped on VE Day—the anniversary marking the end of World War II in Europe. The track drew immediate condemnation for promoting Nazi ideology. In another part of the interview, Braun also addressed his long-running feud with Taylor Swift. Reflecting on his acquisition of her music catalog in 2019, Braun claimed the situation helped reinvigorate Swift's career. Despite Swift's public denouncement of the move, Braun insisted, 'Everyone involved... won.' Still, Swift's fans continue to criticize Braun for what they view as exploitative actions regarding her masters.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Scooter Braun addresses speculation that a Taylor Swift song is potentially about his ex-wife
Scooter Braun is dismissing speculation that Taylor Swift's 2022 song Vigilante Sh*t was inspired by his divorce from Yael Cohen. Speaking on the Question Everything podcast, Braun said, ''Cause me and Yael talk every day. My ex-wife is one of my best friends. So, me and my ex-wife laugh at that stuff.' The track from Swift's Midnights album contains pointed lyrics about revenge, infidelity, and divorce, prompting long-standing rumours it was a reference to Braun and Cohen's 2022 split. 'That's the mother of my children. That is my family for life,' Braun said, adding that he even has a tattoo reading 'same team' in honour of their continued co-parenting relationship. Lines from the song include, 'She needed cold hard proof so I gave her some... Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride. Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife.' Braun simply replied, 'Great strategy move, but no.' The rumour gained traction because of Braun's contentious history with Swift, including his 2019 acquisition of her master recordings. Swift has since reclaimed ownership of her work, publicly celebrating the move and denying any involvement from Braun in the process.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Scooter Braun on old friend Kanye West: 'I don't know him anymore'
Scooter Braun has had to "mourn" the person Kanye West used to be when they were friends. The 44-year-old record executive - who retired from artist management in 2024 - was the controversial rapper's manager between 2016 and 2018. Since 2022, the Stronger rapper has lost people's respect and faced financial consequences after he made a series of antisemitic remarks. Scooter - who is Jewish - says he doesn't recognise Kanye anymore and has no "relationship" with the 48-year-old star. He told Danielle Robay on her Question Everything podcast: 'I don't know him anymore. He continued: 'I think the person that I knew wasn't someone who says those things. Sometimes the hardest thing to do with someone you care about is mourn them while they're still here. The person that I knew is not the person that I'm seeing, so I don't have a relationship anymore.' When asked if he thinks the Bound 2 rapper can claw his way back, he dodged the question and insisted: 'I have three beautiful kids that need a dad to focus on them and make sure they're prepared and strong in this world. That's going to be my focus.'
