The Taylor Swift Thread

[Toups]

I don't understand why big artists would want to put their albums on Spotify or other streaming services right away. And streaming services don't even pay well either - the royalties are really low. Did you read Taylor's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal?

"Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for. It's my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album's price point is. I hope they don't underestimate themselves or undervalue their art."

It's a pretty good article and shows that she's just not another dumb artist who is a puppet to her management and record label. She's not just a musician, she's also a very good business woman who is building and empire with a clear career vision.

Once the physcial CDs are shipped out to the stores, it's impossible for there not to be a leak. Taylor's album was leaked a couple days before the 27th.

[Eric83]

Taylor and Beyonce seem to be the only artists who dont immediately put their stuff on Spotify. Some artists put it pn there the day it's released. I'm thinking to myself do you WANT to have low album sales?

[Eric83]

You gonna purchase another copy guys? LOL

[MissLlanviewPA]

Her albums have officially been removed from Spotify. They have been using her lyrics to try to woo her back :

http://www.buzzfeed.com/reggieugwu/taylor-swift-removes-all-albums-from-spotify

[Toups]

It's like watching an ex begging someone to come back. LOL I like the playlist message that they had:

The extreme hardcores did. I've seen pictures of people with copies ranging up to 8 copies. LOL We'll find out tomorrow if she broke Britney's record and maybe Eminem's too.

[Cheap21]

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Wendy Williams was hating on her and went IN on her ass today! LOL

[Mr. Vixen]

Taylor has grown on me and I like some of the new music but I don't want her to break Britney's record lol.

But it SHOULD be noted that when Britney sold 1.3 million copies in one week, she sold ACTUAL albums. iTunes and online music were nowhere near what they are today, so Britney actually had all those people going out and buying hard albums. Now, on iTunes they are cheaper and you don't even have to leave the house. Best believe it makes a difference!

Either way, Taylor's success is crazy big and even though I don't really like her I have to say she doesn't come off as full of herself or entitled so good for her.

[All My Shadows]

DAMN lol I love the gasps from the audience as Wendy talked.

[Toups]

Yeah it's easisr to buy albums but the fact is people don't buy albums anymore especially compared the 90's and early 2002's. There's also the rise of streaming music and illegal file sharing is bigger too. Album sales are down about 14% compared to last years. Heck nobody thought 1989 would beat Red and that came out two years ago. That's why if Taylor breaks the records it would be a shocking and surprising development.

[Soapsuds]

Looks like Taylor Swift's '1989' has sold 1.3M copies in first week, besting her 'Red' debut handily

[Toups]

http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/sales/salescht.cgi

Looks like it just fell short of Britney record. Nonetheless, that's a phenomenal number and the best Taylor has ever gotten for a first a week. Congrats to her. She deserves all this success.

[Mr. Vixen]

Good for her. Glad she didn't beat my Brit though.

[Eric83]

That is not official. The Billboard/Soundscan numbers are. They will be released tomorrow. She could trend up and still beat Britney.

[Toups]

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6304536/official-taylor-swifts-1989-debuts-with-1287-million-sold-in

Billboard has a lower number and I'll believe Billboard over HDD.

1989's accomplishments:

- It's her fourth No. 1 album, following Red (in 2012), Speak Now (2010) and Fearless (2008).

- 1989 sold 1.287 million copies in the week ending Nov. 2, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

- The largest sales week for an album since June 2, 2002

- Swift is the only act to earn three million-selling weeks with an album.

- 1989 is immediately the biggest-selling album released in 2014, and the only one to sell a million in total, after only a week on sale.

- Incredibly, after just one week on sale, 1989 is the second-largest-selling album of 2014, behind only the Frozen soundtrack.

- 1989 is just the 19th album to sell a million copies in a week since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.

[Toups]

Granted, Taylor didn't break Britney's record, but I'm glad your assessment was wrong. To have three straight 1 million sales in the first week in this day and age is truly remarkable. Taylor Swift fans aren't "country music fans" or "pop fans," we're fans of her music, period. And we have proven that over the span of her career. You're able to accomplish all of this when you establish a great and deeply rooted relationship with your fans over years and years, and if you care about the craft you make. Taylor works very hard for her success because she knows it can all disappear very quickly. She said this quote on The Voice, "If you're coasting, you're backsliding." Lastly, we love her music and we love her as a person - I think that also plays a large part in her sucess.