Justin Bieber is serious about parting ways with Scooter Braun!
There have been plenty of rumors that JB (and many, many other high-profile stars) are distancing themselves from the talent manager — and while the One Time crooner’s reps have denied the claims so far, it would seem there is some truth to the buzz.
On Thursday, sources told Billboard that the Grammy winner has hired a new music lawyer, David Lande at Ziffren Brittenham, to help him figure out a way to end his working relationship with his longtime business partner, whom he has reportedly not spoken to in nearly a year amid an apparent rift. This has reportedly prompted Scooter’s other clients to leave, too! Cause why would you stick around when SB’s most famous artist is jumping ship?? We get the mass exodus now!
While Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and J Balvin, among others, are said to have separated from the manager earlier this year on good terms, it seems the Holy vocalist is going to have a much tougher time!
First of all, it’s inneresting Justin hired a new lawyer in the first place. David will replace Aaron Rosenberg, whom Scooter initially helped hire. He’s also recently fired his agency, CAA, per the sources, so there’s a lot of change going on.
But when it comes to getting the HYBE America CEO off his team, it’s going to be complicated AF! Why? Because The Biebz is still under contract for about four more years, thanks to a series of amendments to the deal they made about three years ago. And in cases like these, standard management contracts tend to favor the manager. Oof.
Unless the Canadian can prove Scooter was acting outside of his best interest — such as going so far as to siphon funds, for example — it’s hard to end the deals prematurely. It’s also not enough to claim the manager isn’t available or is unreachable, unless it’s an extreme case. Plus, Scooter could likely just say he has another team member stepping in for him, like Allison Kaye, who has been running management as president of SB Projects since 2016. Entertainment attorney Larry Katz told the outlet:
“If you’re talking about a case where the artist is just no longer content with their current manager and wants to get out of their management deal, they have a high bar to clear. The only chance an artist would have is if they can demonstrate a well-documented pattern of failure by the manager.”
That said, most managers and lawyers agree that it isn’t in anyone’s best interest to hold someone in a contract against their will, with one manager insisting, “Slavery is not a thing.” What happens in this case? Typically, the artist will fork over a lump sum of money to the manager, give a commission on future funds made from deals the manager was involved in, or establish a clause that gives the manager a gradually decreasing percentage of earnings from deals. Or all or any combination of the above! It’s all about the money!
If Scooter does not agree to some kind of settlement, Hailey Bieber‘s husband could pay for two managers at once — but that second manager could face challenges in finding new income opportunities since Justin is still under contract with Def Jam for his next album and with AEG Presents, which has promoted his concerts since 2010.
Regardless, sources close to Scooter say both Bieber and Grande are under contract but working on a new deal structure now that the manager is pouring more attention into his CEO gig. Sources close to the singers say they are working out new deal structures for business ventures they took while at SB — in prep for potential departures. A major talent agent executive unassociated with the artist dished:
“It might take several years for Bieber to wrap up whatever deals he has with Braun and SB Projects, but he’s still a very attractive client. He’s young, he’s a proven superstar and he’s motivated to work and make money.”
Sounds like a very sticky situation — and it could be a long time before Bieber is free! Issues like this are only bound to make their rumored rift worse! Thoughts? Sound OFF (below)!
Related Posts
Source: Read Full Article