Vida Wisham
Staff Writer
When I was in the car with my dad some time ago, he turned on the radio and “You Belong With Me” came on. My dad, intrigued, asked me who sang it, and for years after, he and I were Swifties together.
For a long time in my life, I loved Taylor Swift. I distinctly remember playing her on the radio during her early country days, and then also as she transitioned to pop. But then, it slowly started to weave its way out of my daily playlists. However, even though I no longer listened to her, I still seemed to hear her name frequently.
I knew so many people who were obsessed with her, and as soon as “Red (Taylor’s Version)” came out, my life became overwhelmingly filled with all things Taylor Swift-related. I remember thinking to myself, “How crazy is it that Swift can release an album that is the exact same songs just with some minor upgrades, and it gets so much popularity?” Not all celebrities in the music industry impact their audiences the way Swift does. So what is it that she does differently? How did she gain her fandom? Is it merely off of pure, raw talent, or is it a meticulously-crafted scheme?
Originally, I was going to write about how I believe Swift to be overrated. However, after some input from my Swiftie dad and a bit of reading on how she has gotten where she is, I have reconsidered my initial thoughts on her.
I may be tired of hearing about Taylor Swift, but she has the brains to keep her name heard.
In 2006, she released her self-titled debut album, which quickly took off. From a young age, Swift has been in the spotlight, yet she has never faded from the spotlight. There have been numerous conspiracies involving Swift and how she manages to consistently stay in the forefront of the public eye, including rumors about how she supposedly “blocks” other artists from gaining the spotlight. Even though it is a common practice among artists to strategically release music to keep up popularity, people say that she releases music or announcements to purposefully keep other artists from being successful (for example, if she were to announce she is releasing music, it would take over the media, potentially blocking other small artists’ news from being shared). Is this the truth, or is this just a way for people to once again undermine a powerful businesswoman in the music industry?
A Billboard article titled “9 Ways Taylor Swift Has Changed the Music Business” has given some insight into the ways that Swift continues to be a businesswoman in the music industry. Making the choice to re-release updated albums, like “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” was a less common choice at the time and apparently very risky, yet it worked for her to great effect. In addition, throughout the years, she has found a way to have control over the consumption of her music and the money she makes. According to the article, in the 2010s, she pulled out of streaming services to make sure she wouldn’t lose physical buyers, but now she is on streaming services, and is still making millions upon millions when it comes to physical buyers due to her marketing. Swift has found many ways to keep her fanbase engaged and thriving.
No matter how overrated one may think she is, no one can deny that she understands marketing and knows what to give her fans. I’m tired of hearing about Taylor Swift, but I don’t think I will ever not hear her name, and she’s kind of a genius for that.