The music industry is in constant flux. With so many people trying to break in, musicians have a constant question before them: how do they maintain relevance?
For some, this isn’t an issue, and they create their music without any qualms or concerns. Then there are the “moneymakers.”
Their primary focus is not necessarily the quality of their work, but rather the brand they are creating.
They aren’t the best singers or even the best looking, and yet they know how to work with other people in order to produce a popular brand.
Some label them opportunists, while others call them sellouts.
This leads to the anomaly that is Taylor Swift. Not only is she creating a brand for herself, but she’s very self conscious about the worth in her work.
However, in her journey to superstardom she’s made one large mistake. She’s not in full control of her choices.
In fact, “Taylor Swift” seems to be a product in itself, run by a bunch of people telling her what to say, or wear or do.
Take her stance on feminism, for example. She has said before that she is a strong supporter of women’s equality, which is in itself not a bad thing and should be praised. But then she turns around and makes the music video for Bad Blood, which is specifically about pitting women against one another.
Did she make this decision herself? Perhaps, but at the same time it is very possible that her team suggested creating the video.
Or flip it. It’s possible Swift wanted the video, but her team also wanted her image to be a majorly feminist one. It’s easier to think that than it is to think Swift is a hypocrite.
Then there’s Spotify and Apple Music. She states that those entities don’t help “the little guys” in music, and she isn’t wrong, but did she really come to that conclusion herself? There’s no way she just woke up and decided to go on an all out war on these two companies.
In fact, for a period of time all of her previous albums were on Spotify and other streaming sources.
What changed? Someone told her to drop out so she can serve as a message.
Does this mean quit Taylor Swift? Of course not. But it’s wise to not mistake her brand as her music. She is just like any other celebrity or politician with a following.
