Big Machine later denied Swift's claims in a lengthy statement. "At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs or block her Netflix special," the label said. "In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere. Since Taylor's decision to leave Big Machine last Fall, we have continued to honor all of her requests to license her catalog to third parties as she promotes her current record [Lover] in which we do not financially participate."
Big Machine's statement also accused Swift of "contractually owing millions of dollars and multiple assets" to the company and its "120 hardworking employees who helped build her career."
Shortly after, Swift's publicist, Tree Paine, responded to Big Machine's statement on Twitter, saying that Borchetta "flatly denied the request for both American Music Awards and Netflix." She also pointed out that in Big Machine's statement, "they never actually deny either claim" Swift made in her post. Tree also claimed that "a professional auditor has determined that Big Machine owes Taylor $7.9 million dollars of unpaid royalties over several years."
