You don’t become one of the biggest artists in the world without rubbing off on your industry a little bit. Taylor Swift does not exist in a vacuum. Given her success, why wouldn’t you want to take a page out of her book?
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Swift’s impact is omnipresent. From her approach to fandom to her mastery of easter eggs, find five ways Swift has changed the landscape of the music industry, below.
1. Treating her fans like family
Right from the beginning of her career, Swift set herself apart from her peers by engaging with her fans on a one-on-one level. An early adopter of the new kind of celebrity social media would usher in, Swift talked to her fans on Twitter and Instagram, sent them letters, and even invited them over to her house. While few artists have gone to the exact same lengths, many have opened themselves up to their fanbases in a way that wouldn’t have been possible a decade ago. Though the ever-increasing access provided by social media would’ve likely taken off without Swift, no one can deny she was ahead of the curve.
2. Regaining control of her music
Swift isn’t the only artist to have re-recorded her past material because of label disputes, but she undoubtedly brought the practice into the public consciousness. Her Taylor’s Version project is an inspiring venture for any artist looking to regain control of their catalog. Since she announced her plans back in 2019, several artists have followed suit.
Recently, boyband 98 Degrees commented on Swift’s influence in their own re-recording process. “We thought it’d be natural for us to do this, you know, sort of rerecording of our masters,” Jeff Timmons said. “The fans have embraced [Swift]. And so we’re like, ‘OK, now’s the time to do it.’”
[RELATED: 4 Earlier Artists Who Pulled a Taylor Swift and Re-Recorded Their Music]
3. Career-retrospective tours
The Eras Tour is unarguably one of the biggest tours in recent memory. Fans jumped at the chance to get to see Swift perform songs from the breadth of her career. Since Swift announced her retrospective trek, several similar tours have popped up, including Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, the Jonas Brothers Five Albums. One Night Tour, and Madonna’s Celebration Tour. Not to say that Swift is the first person to ever think up hocking her biggest hits, but the up-tick in career retrospective tours is undeniable.
4. Easter eggs
Being a true Swiftie requires determination. It’s not a passive activity and that is largely by Swift’s design. The singer drops breadcrumbs throughout her releases for her fans to collect and dissect. From bonus material in different editions of her albums to nods toward impending releases in her music videos, Swift is a master of keeping her fans enticed.
Many of her peers have adopted similar practices. Olivia Rodrigo recently shared several “bonus” songs on the different physical versions of GUTS. Fans were forced to work amongst themselves to distinguish each song and its possible title.
More and more artists have been making use of hidden websites, fake ads, and other cryptic teasers. Long gone are the days of a normal album announcement.
5. Flipping genres
Few artists have switched up their sound as much as Swift has. From country to dance-pop to indie singer/songwriter, Swift has done it all. Moreover, she manages to keep her fanbase intact regardless of what sonic direction she goes in. It’s an impressive feat, that no doubt has inspired other musicians to take the leap toward genre ambiguity.
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for TAS
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