EXCLUSIVE Justin Bieber fans who are angry about their refunds from expensive VIP packages can take it up with: Scooter Braun, Justin’s manager.
Scooter is one of a handful of big ticket investors who helped raise $20 million last year to launch Bktsg, the firm that is now handling Justin’s meet and greets. Among the other investors are One Direction’s management company, as well Ken Lerer and Eric Hippeau (formerly the funders of the Huffington Post), Live Nation, and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovitch. Bkstg’s principals are two former AOL execs.
It’s unclear how much Braun has invested in Bkstg, and whether his investment includes Bieber. But Bieber has shilled for the new company on social media. And he also promoted the predecessor company, called Fahlo (get it– ‘follow’) which was running his fan club and offering VIP packages before the name was changed to Bkstg. Braun’s company was also investor in Fahlo, which only raised $3 million. (It’s listed on their LinkedIn profile.) In January 2015, Bieber posted his so called “apology video” to fans on Fahlo.
To raise $20 million, Bkstg certainly required large amounts of money from investors. This means that money charged by Bkstg for Bieber appearances with fans not only cuts in the artists but the investors want their money back. Braun and other artists’ managers who invest are in effect “double dipping.” Not a bad take.
My new fan club is here. Get @Bkstg and #getcloser https://t.co/R7zekH5oTX pic.twitter.com/t6wUyzzBTi
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) February 12, 2016
