About this episode
Love it or hate it, your favorite pop star is a person and a product. How much are you willing to pay?
Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, smashed records for first week album sales. This was in part due to all the different limited-edition variants that went on sale; some for only 24 hours. Talk about pressuring your fans! Is this business strategy fan service, or fan exploitation? Where’s the line?
Brittany sits down with Stephen Thompson, host for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour, and Ann Powers, NPR music critic and correspondent, to get into the life of a business woman, why they think Swift had to make this album, and whether or not it's worth the cost.
Read Ann's (mostly positive) review of The Life of a Showgirl.
(0:00) Is Taylor exploiting her fans? Yes and No!
(3:08) Taylor's business strategy isn't hers alone...
(6:11) Why Taylor is a proxy for all our rage
(10:43) Why vinyl sales in general have skyrocketed
(13:46) How the charts impact the music industry
(15:50) Why Taylor Swift HAD to make 'The Life of a Showgirl'
(18:15) Does greed make bad art?
(21:00) Responding to your comments :)
Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse
For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, smashed records for first week album sales. This was in part due to all the different limited-edition variants that went on sale; some for only 24 hours. Talk about pressuring your fans! Is this business strategy fan service, or fan exploitation? Where’s the line?
Brittany sits down with Stephen Thompson, host for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour, and Ann Powers, NPR music critic and correspondent, to get into the life of a business woman, why they think Swift had to make this album, and whether or not it's worth the cost.
Read Ann's (mostly positive) review of The Life of a Showgirl.
(0:00) Is Taylor exploiting her fans? Yes and No!
(3:08) Taylor's business strategy isn't hers alone...
(6:11) Why Taylor is a proxy for all our rage
(10:43) Why vinyl sales in general have skyrocketed
(13:46) How the charts impact the music industry
(15:50) Why Taylor Swift HAD to make 'The Life of a Showgirl'
(18:15) Does greed make bad art?
(21:00) Responding to your comments :)
Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse
For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Get every episode summarized
Each time It's Been a Minute publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from It's Been a Minute
In America, are you what you wear?
It's Been a Minute
Sep 4, 202623:15completed
Where did all the 'masculine men' go?
It's Been a Minute
Sep 2, 202625:37pending
It's healthy to eat your feelings. Here's why.
It's Been a Minute
Sep 1, 202637:21pending
The rise of 'intentional living'
It's Been a Minute
Aug 31, 202626:37pending