Rob Sheffield, a writer for Rolling Stone, captures a lot of Taylor Swift in his short but pithy book. “Her Eras Tour is such a blockbuster it’s hard to place it into industry perspective–the revenue in 2023 was $1 billion, more than the next two biggest tours (Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen) put together. The Tortured Poets Department was not just the biggest-selling, most-streamed album, it outsold the rest of the year’s top ten combined. And five of the top ten were her albums.” (p. 3)
Take Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour for an example: Swift played 149 shows across five continents and 51 cities worldwide. The tour sold 10,168,008 tickets with an average of 68,241 tickets per show. The proceeds from those tickets were more than the 2024 GDPs of 18 small countries!
Taylor Swift economic effects can be staggering. Attendees to a Swift Concert spent over $10 million in the city that hosted the concert. “In 2017, the Washington Post ran a high-profile article with at the headline ‘The Death of the Electric Guitar.’ Gibson and Fender were both in debt, so was Guitar Center, to the tune of $1.6 billion…. ‘Starting in 2010,’ the Post reported, the industry witnessed a milestone that would have been unthinkable during the hair-metal era: Acoustic models began to outsell electric.'” (p. 64-65)
And who fueled this radical change? Taylor Swift. Suddenly millions of young girls started taking guitar lessons. “Andy Mooney, the CEO of Fender, called Swift ‘the most influential guitarist of recent years.’ ” (p. 65). While sales of acoustic guitars remained strong, electric guitar sales rebounded during the Pandemic.
As a former Business professor, I’m amazed that Taylor Swift–after being cheated by her first recording company–decided to take control of her music and her songs by RE-RECORDING them! Everyone in the recording industry thought Swift was crazy and the re-recorded albums would bomb. Instead, the albums–identified with Taylor’s Version in the title–sold millions of copies and outsold the original recordings. Taylor Swift is The Beatles of this generation! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago : a very fast timeline — x
- Prelude: Our song is a slamming screen door — xv
- Planet Taylor : nice to meet you, where you been — 1
- I love you, it’s ruining my life — 13
- A portrait of the artist as a young, loud, and not-especially-great-at-calming-down woman — 20
- Early days : please picture me in the trees — 25
- Track five : the ballad of “all too well” — 31
- The fangirl — 42
- Fearless — 47
- Everybody loves petty; everybody loves cool –50
- The songs on her arms — 56
- “Enchanted” — 60
- Every guitar-string scar on her hand — 63
- “The Archer” — 67
- The bridge : thirteen songs from Taylor’s dreams — 72
- Red — 87
- There once was a girl known by everyone and no one : Taylor’s codes –90
- 1989 — 99
- The word “nice” — 105
- “New romantics” — 109
- The Villain Era — 116
- Reputation — 128
- Taylor’s Version (Taylor’s version) — 136
- “Cruel summer” — 144
- The lead single — 147
- I’m not asleep, my mind is a alive : Lover — 150
- Folklore — 154
- “Mirrorball” — 160
- “Marjorie” — 163
- “Right where you left me” — 167
- Midnights
- Finale: Forevermore — 174
- Acknowledgments — 181
More power to her, although being out the loop, i wouldn’t know her songs if I fell over them.
If I had any musical talent at all (which I don’t), I’d get on the bandwagon and start my own ERRORS TOUR and rake in the big bucks.
Jerry, I’d buy a ticket your ERRORS Tour!
Well, anyone who insisted her re-recordings would “bomb” after her fanbase had so thoroughly grown was living in their own bitter fantasy world. I think she’s talented, but her music doesn’t blow me away…which is fine. She doesn’t need my patronage even a bit.
I have just enough musical talent to starve to death if I tried to live off it. Also, sequined tights would not flatter me.
Todd, sequined tights would not flatter me, either! But previous artists who “re-recorded” their albums did not achieve a fraction of the success Taylor Shift did with hers. You and I are not in the target audience for Taylor Swift’s music…but I like it. My favorite Taylor Swift song is “Willow.”
There’s no doubt she’s easy on the eyes, but she hasn’t made one penny from me, ever! To equate her to The Beatles is blasphemy!
Bob, I suspect Taylor Swift might made a few pennies from younger members of your family.
I don’t think so! Only one granddaughter is in the right age group and she’s a Billie Eilish fan!
Bob, Billie Ellis and Taylor Swift have the same Work Ethic that I admire.
Despite going to her concert film, I would not know her songs either. Why does she always wear that leotard? Doe he explain that?
Patti, Rob Sheffield does not explain the leotard but I’d guess it’s a marketing decision. Sheffield focuses on how Taylor Swift built her audience of millions of young girls.
More power to her though this is not in my range of interest. Could I identify a Taylor Swift song if I heard it? Hmm, well, at least two – “You Belong With Me” and “Shake It Off.”
Jeff, I’m most impressed by Taylor Swift’s worth ethic. She started her music career as a teenager and performed constantly for decades. Katie attended two of Swift’s ERAS concerts–one in Foxboro and one in Amsterdam–and both performances were about 3 hours long and well choreographed.
I think Taylor Swift is a great songwriter, and if I were in her demographic she could very well be my number one favorite. As it is, I still buy and play her cds, because they’re really good.
One of my nieces has a license plate frame that reads
in this car we listen to
(taylor’s version)
Jeff, I have all of the Taylor’s Version remakes…and they are better than the original albums! I marvel at Taylor Swift’s energy and quality control!
Not sure I’m really interested in a book about Taylor Swft—the only song I know by her is “Shake It Off” which I really like, but one sing does not a fan make. Years ago, I read Rob Sheffield’s LOVE IS A MIX TAPE about the sudden death of his wife (they were both in their twenties) and the role music played in their relationship and later in his grieving process. I remember it being a good book—especially for fans of 80s & 90s alternative music.
Deb, LOVE IS A MIX TAPE is a very moving book. Sheffield is an underrated writer.
LOVE IS A MIX TAPE sounds great.
Patti, LOVE IS A MIX TAPE broke my heart.