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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.