Learning:
To explore how Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, is an example of:
- The value and importance of live performances.
- The significance and profitability of star images.
- Formulaic branding and production design designed for commercial success.
- A masterclass in how to involve fan communities into marketing and promotions.
- A participatory and highly invested fandom.
Media Concepts:
Audience, Representation, Industry, Language
The Big Debate:
Taylor Swift has become a mega star through clever branding, global distribution and fan power. She dominates the music industry and has enormous personal influence.
Key vocabulary:
Star image, branding, production design, fandom, participatory, formulaic, global distribution,
Media Theorists:
Hesmondhalgh, Jenkins and Curran and Seaton
Exam Question:
‘Given the dominance of global media, there are now few opportunities for local voices to be expressed.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
Swift & Eras
Taylor Swift is an iconic pop star. She has broken several records as a performer and recording artist. Whether you love or hate her music, there is no getting away from the fact that she has an enormous following of ‘Swifties’ and has made many billions of dollars from her recordings, concerts and tours.
The Eras tour by Taylor Swift has broken all records.
- In August 2023, Spotify said Swift broke another record, becoming the first female artist in the streaming platform’s history to reach 100 million monthly listeners.
- Her Eras Tour grossed more that $2 billion. That’s $2,000,000,000.00!
- Swift will release her next re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
- She is re-recording her earlier albums because it will allow her to own the songs’ original recordings (master tapes).
- This was in part down to her fans ‘The Swifties,’ promoting ‘Taylor’s Version’ of the master tape in preference to the original master tape owned by her former label, Big Machine Records, (distributed by Universal – one of the Big 3). An excellent case study on ownership & control of music.
- Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film became a blockbuster a week before hitting cinemas, a fantastic example of Cross Media Convergence.
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- Its distributor AMC says global advance ticket sales reach $172m, adding, “demand has been incredible from the moment it was first announced.”
- The film Taylor’s Version (referencing the rerecordings of her songs) is available on Disney after being released in cinemas.
- It allows fans to ‘go’ to the concert even if they can’t actually get a ticket – March 14 2024.
A marketing magician.
The Melbourne Concert was a stand out concert
The audience wants to be interactive and are asking the question, ‘What’s in it for me?’ (Jenkins & Shirky)
They expect a degree of interaction and personal engagement for example Taylor Swift’s use of social media to drive excitement (buzz) for her Eras tour.
It included the following crowd inspiring marketing techniques.
- a Swift-themed academic symposium
- pop-up merchandise stand at Crown,
- a projection on Flinders Street Station welcoming Swifties to town – with the clock striking 13, naturally.
- A concert film was released in October, so most fans know exactly what to expect (and have learned all the dances and chants from TikTok).
- Each fan received a wristband, which flashes in colours to match the era.
- So much of the Eras Tour is fan service, from the inclusion of fan anthem Long Live (added later in the tour)
The Fans, aka Swifties
The name legally became part of the Swiftian universe in 2017, when the singer/songwriter filed the name as a trademark. There are even, ‘Senior Swifties’. Eventually, during her 1989 era, Swift broke down the final barrier between her and her fans. As a gift to some of her most longstanding followers, Swift created the “Secret Sessions,” in which she hosted groups of Swifties at her many houses around the globe.
The audience are not merely satisfied to be engaged in music and star images, they also seek to build the star into their personal identity (B&K & Gauntlet) furthermore the fans will work within communities of like minded people, Swifties (Jenkins). They were very powerful in her 2019 master tapes dispute with Big Machine. They have also been hugely instrumental in the success of her Eras tour, ref Swiftmania.
But the fandom has also been accused of inappropriate trolling of Taylor’s past partners.
Power beyond Music – politics are all part of the media circus.
- There has been an interesting battle between supporters of President Trump & supporters of…you got it…Taylor Swift!
- Swifties could decide the American election – What is true, though, is that Swift currently possesses unprecedented power: an endorsement from the most beloved singer in the United States could potentially tip the balance in what’s likely to be a close election. A reported billionaire, Swift can reroute economies, trigger congressional action and spur tens of thousands of people to register to vote.
- “I definitely believe Taylor could convince Swifties to do a January 6.” – in other words, fans are powerful and act as a community capable of changing an election outcome.
So how could I use this in my exams?
Great case study for Music Industry: The Big 3 – production ownership, CMC, vertical integration, fandoms, participatory audiences, active audiences, Dyer, Curran and Seaton, Blumler and Katz, Jenkins, Shirky, viral marketing, star image, integrated advertising, word of mouth.
But also for Ecology – the way that an artist can become a global star, mass audiences, fandoms, social media, converged technology encouraging fan access and interaction, marketing, Shirky, Jenkins, Blumler & Katz, Dyer.
