Business Sense That Stood Out from the Start... 'Moving Company' Taylor Swift [Yeit Suda]

"He found a way to become the source of light beyond the boundary of a world divided by light and darkness. There has been no one who has moved so many people on Earth today." The American news magazine Time explained its reason for selecting Taylor Swift as the 2023 'Person of the Year' in this way. It attracted attention as the first case and sole selection of an entertainer chosen for 'Person of the Year' based on artistic achievements rather than social activism. Time added, "His popularity has risen over decades, but this year especially, Swift has emitted a kind of nuclear fusion-like energy in both artistic and commercial aspects," and "It was a year that reminded us again of the question of who creates and owns our cultural expression."

Taylor Swift. [AP=Yonhap News]

Taylor Swift (35)'s whirlwind remains strong in 2024. On the 1st, Swift's album ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ topped the main album chart 'Billboard 200' dated January 6. His 13 released albums have occupied the chart's top spot for a total of 68 weeks, surpassing 'The King of Rock and Roll' Elvis Presley to set a new record as the solo artist with the longest time at number one on the Billboard album chart.

His influence is also prominent in economic effects. The WSJ coined the term 'Swiftonomics' to describe the phenomenon where shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses see increased sales and economic revitalization wherever Taylor Swift performs or visits. Last year, he earned $1.04 billion (about 1.37 trillion KRW) from the 'Eras Tour' performances that started in North America alone. The conservative Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank mentioned in its July 2023 Beige Book economic report that Philadelphia's travel and tourism industry showed strong performance due to Swift's concerts, which became a hot topic. Wall Street analysts also suggested that Swift's tour performances contributed to raising the third-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Swift's popularity also extended to the National Football League (NFL) and regional economic revitalization. As he became romantically involved with Travis Kelce (35), tight end (offensive player) of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, and visited Kansas City to watch home games, the Chiefs organization and Kansas City's local business sales recorded all-time highs. The influence of the fandom Swiftie, who accompanies him wherever he goes, is tremendous; at Swift's concert held in Seattle last July, the movement of 70,000 Swifties even registered a magnitude 2.3 earthquake.

Taylor Swift, selected as Time magazine's "Person of the Year 2023."
[Photo by Time website]

Having dreamed of becoming a singer since childhood and honing his skills from the ground up, Swift started circulating karaoke-version demo tapes with his mother at age 11, and after returning home, devoted several hours daily to practicing guitar and singing. After debuting in 2006, to promote his first single on broadcasts, he personally visited about 200 radio stations across the United States that influence ranking charts. At California's 'K-FROG' radio station, he sang his song 'Tim McGraw' while changing the lyrics from "Someday you'll turn on the radio" to "Someday you'll turn on K-FROG," demonstrating an extraordinary business sense from the start.

Harvard University established a course titled 'Taylor Swift and Her World' in the spring semester this year to explore his musical world; Stanford offers a class named after Swift's song ‘All Too Well (10-minute version),’ and Arizona State University is preparing to open a psychology course related to Swift's work. The success story of a pop star once thought ordinary is now attracting attention as an unprecedented academic research subject beyond popular appeal and economic impact.

Editor's NoteYeitsuda (藝It Suda) is an abbreviation for chatting about art, a column focusing on issues and trends across the arts such as music, fine arts, and performances.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.