Taylor Swift is one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation. She has broken numerous records, won countless awards, and amassed a global following of millions of fans. But what is it about Taylor Swift that makes her such a force to be reckoned with? We have explored some key factors that have contributed to Taylor Swift's success.
1 - Championing Artist Rights
In the mid-2010s, Taylor Swift made headlines as an advocate for artists' rights. In 2014, she pulled her music from Spotify, protesting the platform's low royalty payouts. Swift's bold move was followed by another stand in 2015 when she challenged Apple Music's decision not to pay artists during its free trial period.
Swift's public outcry led to a quick policy reversal by Apple. These incidents showcased Swift's significant influence, used to champion fair treatment and compensation for artists.
2 - Taylor's Version
Scooter Braun sold all Taylor’s masters to Shamrock Holdings, a move that Swift opposed. Despite her efforts, the sale went through. In August 2019, Taylor Swift revealed plans to re-record and release her six previous albums.
Her decision received overwhelming support by fellow artists; e.g. Olivia Rodrigo negotiated full control of their masters, while Bryan Adams, re-recorded their material following Taylor's lead. The re-recorded albums achieved immense success with Taylor’s fans as they included bonus tracks, surprise collaborations, and fresh perspectives.
3- Taylor's Version Impact
When Swift announced she would re-record her first six albums in June 2019, the concept of re-recording masters has evolved from a music-business niche for legacy artists like Frank Sinatra to a big headline topic.
Josh Binder, an attorney who represents SZA, Doechii and others, said in a recent Billboard article the Taylor Swift scenario is rare, and most artists never have to exercise their re-recording rights.
However, as Taylor Swift re-recorded her ‘Red’ Album in 2021, Universal reworked contracts to block artists from doing the same with their music.
4 - Genre-Hoping Success
Swift's ability to evolve across genres has made her Eras Tour a standout event of the year. Most artists don’t try as many styles as Swift has, and even fewer are able to find any real success by crossing over from one genre to another and then back again.
The Grammy winner is present on more than a dozen Billboard rankings, and the songs and albums that find space on these competitive lists show that whether she’s dabbling in pop, alternative, rock or the twang that made her a household name, she almost never has an issue racking up enough sales to chart.
5 - Look What You Made Me Do
Spotify announced that in October 2023, the singer had become “the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history, and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day this year.
Swift replaced herself as the most-streamed artist record holder, a year after she captured the title back on October 21, 2022. Earlier this month, she and Jack Antonoff celebrated their song “Cruel Summer” hitting No. 1 on the charts – four years after its initial release.
6 - Breaking Records
When "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" debuted in July, it was Swift's fourth album to occupy the Billboard 200 chart's top 10 at the same time, alongside "Midnights," "Lover," and "Folklore." This made her the first woman to have four albums in the Billboard chart's top 10 simultaneously. Swift is the second living artist to do so after Herb Alpert in 1966. Prince also previously achieved this after his death in 2016.
Swift and Fincher are the only directors who have managed to make history by winning back-to-back awards in the Best Direction category at the MTV Video Music Awards. Fincher for"Express Yourself" and "Vogue," and Swift for "All Too Well: The Short Film" and now “Anti-Hero.”
7 - Eras Tour Bonuses
Swift reportedly gave bonuses totaling more than $55 million to those working on her show. That money was distributed to her dancers, riggers, sound technicians, catering. Multiple sources reported that Swift gave $100,000 bonuses to each of the 50 truck drivers of her tour —those amounts alone total more than $5 million.
As for Swift? Don’t worry about her—even if she is a reported $55 million down as a result of her generosity, she's doing just fine. Before the tour, Swift's combined income streams were estimated at $92 million, landing her at No. 9 on Forbes' list of The World's 10 Highest-Paid Entertainers.
8 - Taylor Swift’s Billionaire Era
Taylor Swift’s Eras tour has catapulted her to billionaire status, according to a report from Bloomberg in October 2023, making her one of the few recording artists to build a 10-figure fortune almost entirely from her music.
The “most definitive account yet” of the 33-year-old pop star’s wealth claims that the singer, who has broken box office records with her Eras tour concert film ($92.8m in its opening weekend) and leading the charts again with the re-release of her 2014 album 1989, now has a total net worth of about $1.1bn.
9 - The Swiftie Community
Taylor Swift broke the barrier between artists and fans, embracing social media not just as a messaging tool but as a direct channel to connect with her audience. She might not have been the first one but her outreach extended beyond the virtual space and included personalized gifts, secret listening parties, intimate meet-and-greets and unexpected album drops was quite unique and has redefined how artists connect with their fans.