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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Taylor Swift
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Message started by Matchstikman on 05/23/23 at 22:04:44

Title: Taylor Swift
Post by Matchstikman on 05/23/23 at 22:04:44

I read that Taylor Swift will make $500,000 from her current tour. Wow, right? So, I thought, is Taylor Swift that good? Am I missing out on some extra-ordinary music? I went on Amazon in search of a "best of" CD so that I could get an idea of what was going on and I found nothing. Apparently, I learned, "best of" CDs and compilations are a thing of the past. Today, if you want to sample music you need to get on Spotify or something like that. Which makes me wonder? Am I missing out by not getting on Spotify or some other streaming service?

Okay, so, Taylor Swift. What's the deal? Where do I start? And, should I start? What will I find at the end of that journey?

Also, I did a search of Taylor Swift here on the Decware site and there was only 1 entry to be found. 1 entry!! Are we missing out?

Lon, you own every CD every made, and probably two copies of each. What Taylor Swift is in your collection? Are you waiting for your 300b to arrive to really do a deep Taylor Swift dive?

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by beowulf on 05/23/23 at 22:40:08

Taylor Swift is a manufactured “pop star” with literally an army of writers and producers behind her. I think I remember reading that out of all her albums someone went through all the writing credits and it equaled only 3 songs that she wrote by herself since she came onto the scene around 2010 or so. I think her biggest hits (as well as pretty much all the big pop stars) were written by Max Martin/Shellback ~ the Swedish collaborators who write hit songs based on mathematical equations (that's why they all pretty much sound the same).

I don’t know for sure, but I doubt Lon would have any music by her.

If you want to listen to “real” country music by a current/relevant/real artist try Aaron Lewis (previous lead singer/songwriter for the rock band Staind) ~ he’s the real deal.

EDIT p.s. yes, you should check out Spotify and/or Amazon, or other streaming services if only for a test drive. Qobuz is my personal favorite streaming service as you can get hi-res and CD quality streaming. Though I'm pretty sure Spotify and Amazon may have hi-res streaming as well ... streaming is a great way to find and check out music/artists to see if you like it. I also use Qobuz on my phone when traveling, so I have continuous music whilst driving.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Lon on 05/24/23 at 00:08:45

Sorry, i don't own any Taylor Swift music at all. Nor am I really familiar with her work. I am pretty much outside of the pop world . . . pop and rock began to really not appeal to me at all in the 'eighties, and I have collected mostly jazz, Brazilian and classical music ever since.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Dominick on 05/24/23 at 06:37:39

Matchstikman,

I can tell you that Taylor Swift here on the East Coast in NJ is quite the rave. She just sold out 3 days at MetLife Stadium for the holiday weekend. There was a huge controversy recently that when her tickets went on sale, the influx was so huge that it crashed the Ticketmaster (I believe) server. People who had been in que for the payment processing screen got booted off and lost their seats.
I only know some of her music because of my daughter. Personally I am not a fan and don’t think her voice is all that…..but she does play the guitar and at a recent concert she played for over 3 hours. She is probably one of the most highly marketed musicians as of recent.

Dom

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by effluviography on 05/24/23 at 10:02:57

She is making considerably more than 500K. She is playing 50-70,000 seat venues (football stadiums) with top tickets costing thousands of dollars. My guess is she's is making 10s of millions off of this tour.

I don't find her music all that interesting, but she is definitely a pop cultural phenomenon right now, for good or bad.

If someone is looking for top flight country-folk-pop music, I recommend the Swedish sisters who make up First Aid Kit.

Pop music is popular for some reason, but I've never found it all that tinteresting. Cheers.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by ChJKy (Chris) on 05/24/23 at 11:27:30

First Aid Kit's Master Pretender and their cover of The Boys Of Summer are both great tunes...

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Matchstikman on 05/24/23 at 13:19:04

Correction.
Not $500,000 but $500,000,000. OUCH!!

If her music is a product of math equations and that's why she is so popular then this is a bit nefarious, isn't it? I've checked out a few songs on Youtube and they comments all state that the music is wonderful and the best ever. Is this one of those age things?

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Lon on 05/24/23 at 17:16:54

Money money money. MONEY! That's what pop music is all about.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by beowulf on 05/24/23 at 22:27:56

Matchstikman wrote on 05/24/23 at 13:19:04:

This is a list of Max Martin's credits and here and this is Shellback's credits ... as you can see almost everybody who's anybody in pop music is on that list, Taylor Swift, Pink, Back Street Boys, etc., etc. They've (Max Martin/Shellback) had multiple songs, by multiple performers, on the charts at the same time on several occasions and have been accused of all sounding the same ... which they do because they use a formula. And of the these pop stars' ~ their biggest hits are literally written and produced by Max Martin/Shellback.

Here's a few quotes from Max himself:
1. Made Up Words and Bad Grammar = Pop Hits
2. Every Max Martin Song Has an Equal Number of Syllables
3. Vocals Don’t Necessarily Have to Be Great to Sell a Song - he fixes them with extensive use auto-tune and comping ... most of these people can't even hold a tune, let alone expecting them to actually write their own music.

It is an illusions and they are Milli Vanilli 2.0 on steroids. While some of these people may have an inkling of talent, the majority of these "pop stars" are IMO not putting out extraordinary music, heck most of them aren't even writing or producing their own music, can't even sing live and need to use use backup tracks. Most of their fame/success is based purely on manufactured personas/looks and huge advertising budgets pushing them onto the airwaves.

IMO ~ these are truly throw away songs for the most part and record companies no longer need or even want to invest and/or take chances on real talent ~ because they know people will continue to buy (like eating potato chips) "safe formulated music" if it is pushed in your face relentlessly. And by having multiple award shows, etc. patting each other on the back, giving each other high 5's, giving themselves awards that they don't deserve, etc.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by effluviography on 05/24/23 at 23:25:06

Indeed. Unfortunately, in pop music, like most big businesses, there is a formula:

Good Marketing = Good Business - Products are secondary, be they songs, shoes, or what other type of widget. There are always exceptions to any generalism, like this one, but it is too often the case.

Small businesses, small artists, less trendy musicians, all tend to care about the product more than the marketing.

I just read an article, not sure where, but it was talking about how music companies don't want to pick up artists who don't already have followings on instagram or TikTok.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Lon on 05/24/23 at 23:31:07

Meanwhile today I know America and Switzerland are lamenting the loss of Anna Mae Bullock today.

That is the artist also known as Tina Turner, who had dual citizenship.

She may have not made 500 million dollars in one tour, but she deservedly did well.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Kamran on 05/25/23 at 02:00:10

Playing Devil’s advocate for a second (and this is coming from someone who wouldn’t recognize a Taylor Swift track if it was shoved down his throat), what makes singer/songwriters superior to just singers who depend on others to write their songs? That personally, has never bothered me. I am evaluating a singer based on their vocal skills—not their poetry. Irrespective of who (or what) wrote the song, as long as the singer can deliver, who cares?

So while Taylor Swift isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I still respect her for her art and the millions of ppl she brings joy to.

I write this as I listen to the Tina Turner (may she Rest In Peace) playlist on Qobuz.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Lon on 05/25/23 at 02:14:36

From a little bit of research I think Swift's song-writing abilities and the quantity are being under-represented--she has written and co-written a darned large number of those that appear on her albums, and her song-writing at her young age was a big reason she became a star and so popular.

That said, not my cup of tea, but then very little in that musical world is.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Doug on 05/25/23 at 02:50:11

Defending Taylor Swift’s success, her song writing, her musicianship, and her singing was not on my to-do-list for today. I don’t recall ever listening to a single song of hers, and I couldn’t name any of her songs if my life depended on it.

Interestingly, the truth seems to be that she is a talented and prolific song writer. Apparently she has collaborated with a number of other song writers, but she has also written dozens of hits on her own with no assistance from anyone. All of the songs on her 2010 album, Speak Now, were written solely by Taylor, with one of those songs winning country music’s song of the year.

Wow! I feel really weird having come to Swift’s defense, but I don’t think it’s fair to lump her into that homogeneous group of today’s no-talent pop stars.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Matchstikman on 05/26/23 at 22:11:28

Doug, you sound like a Swift fan. Is Speak Now a good place to start?

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Doug on 05/27/23 at 04:00:01

No, not a fan. The truth is, I’m pretty sure I’ve never listened to a Taylor Swift song.

My interest in this post was piqued for the sole reason that my youngest daughter, a double major in violin and vocal performance, and also an accomplished pianist, has been following Taylor since her first album was released. I remember my daughter telling me way back then that Taylor was a good song writer and musician. So, like Lon, I simply did a bit of quick research to confirm what my daughter had told me so many years ago.

On a side note, my wife tells me that Swift’s song lyrics are ridiculously “immature, childish, and lame”. It sounds to me as if there may not be a good place to jump into Taylor’s music.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by hdrider on 05/27/23 at 15:09:09

Thank you all for the info, opinions on TS. I wouldn't know her if she just brought in my first cup o'coffee singing her biggest hit. But I do love that we as a forum are open to checking out something new...When Rivers Meet, British husband and wife doing a more modern blues/rock. Very interesting stuff. Anyway, let's remember the reason for this three day weekend and Happy Listening when it comes around. Chris.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Matchstikman on 02/08/24 at 00:04:46

I did it.

I pre-ordered her upcoming effort: The Tortured Poet's Department.

I think I know one of her songs that I hear at the gym but that's about it. I read all the press online and I thought I'd give it a chance.

Title: Re: Taylor Swift
Post by Dave1210 on 02/08/24 at 21:56:14

I agree with Doug. She is an incredibly talented and passionate songwriter/musician.

My recommendation as a starting point would be the album Folklore. When COVID hit, Taylor contacted one of the Dessner brothers from The National, and together they wrote some amazing songs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore_(Taylor_Swift_album)

If there are any Disney+ subscribers out there, the documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions is a great way to get acquainted with Taylor and the producers. She talks a bit about each song on the album, prior to a stripped down performance with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.