You’d struggle to find a bigger name than Taylor Swift in the music industry right now and her rise to become a global icon didn’t come through coincidence.
Join us as we look into what exactly has helped Taylor Swift become the biggest pop star in the world right now, with a huge loyal fan base.
Jump to a section:
Relatability
The relatability between Taylor Swift and her music has contributed massively to her fanbase growth, alongside the existing loyalty of her long-standing fanbase, known as ‘Swifties’.
She uses her albums and songs within them to help process a particular time in her life, known as an ‘Era’, with many of her fans encouraged that a pop star like her also goes through the same emotions and situations. She carefully creates a narrative that allows people to feel heard, seen and part of a community. Her lyrical narratives have consistently helped fans to feel united with her and her music after every new release.
View this post on Instagram
Connectivity
Outside of her music, Taylor Swift has never been one to shy away from connecting with her fans, which can be seen in her ‘Secret Sessions’. These ‘Secret Sessions’ became the hidden golden ticket for the fanbase, with Taylor’s team taking to social media to find the biggest fans to invite to be a part of the session.
A select few would then have the opportunity to attend the sessions at one of her houses, listen to her unreleased album, chat and take photos with the singer. This connection with fans can go a long way when keeping them consistently and constantly engaged.
Exclusivity
The Era’s tour has become the hottest ticket in town. When they went on sale, Ticketmaster crashed within seconds, with many fans being kicked out as they joined the queue – which goes to show just how many people were trying to get their hands on a ticket.
With millions of fans in the UK and Wembley only hosting just shy of 90,000, and other UK venues with smaller attendance numbers, the exclusivity of getting a ticket caused desperation, with many wanting to be a part of the experience. When only a handful of shows are announced, it’s a guarantee that this desperation will lead to less hesitation when purchasing, resulting in record sell-outs and higher profits.
This exclusivity is an up-and-coming strategy we’re seeing more of, particularly in the music industry with show dates. Another example is Sabrina Carpenter and her Sweet & Sour Tour, which followed a similar pattern of sell-out dates due to her small number of shows.
View this post on Instagram
Taylor’s Versions
Taylor Swift has recently been releasing the same but ‘new’ music, with this ‘controversy’ helping to keep her in the spotlight. The release of her music is different because she now owns the music, unlike her previous six albums which she does not own. It all stems from when she was not offered the chance to buy the ownership of her records from music executive and entrepreneur Scooter Braun.
This ownership conflict acted as a catalyst for Swift’s fury (and genius) in deciding to re-record the original music she created so that she could have the correct ownership, known as “Taylor’s Version”.
Conclusion
The rise of Taylor Swift over the years has proven that if you understand your audience and connect with them in the right way, success will happen.
There’s a reason she’s won 14 Grammy’s, 10 smash-hit albums and continues to sell out tours within minutes of release.
