Come along with me as I dissect TWO deeply critical articles about Miss Taylor Swift and think long and hard about how artists need criticism to thrive.
Thank you for being our boots on the ground lizard. I never fully realized how recent Taylor reviews really lack… you know… review! Unfortunately snakegate has traumatized Swifties and now they see any valid critique as an attempt at another Taylor Swift is over party. They need to learn NOT EVERYONE IS OUT TO GET YOU! This is something I’m working with myself even now. My first thought when I saw the first article despite loving it, was a knee jerk reaction that she had an ulterior motive due to her platforming the second article. Thankfully I have amazing people like you to help me with this 🫶
madeline YEEEAAAAASSSSS!!!!!! i was fr clapping and cheering from my apartment as i listened to this. despite being a longtime fan i have been largely not that critical of the re-records aside from a few tracks - i guess i just don't really care much either way, stream what you want (i do!)! BUT this is sooooo fucking true. taylor needs criticism to create her best work. we have so many examples of this!!!! we need journalists like hannah (represent) to push taylor. in some ways i understand why the TIME article didn't really press her, but hearing the journalist's inner monologue and his active decision to NOT ask her to expand on the cancellation was disappointing. it's also just insane as a longtime fan to see how uncritical people have been this past year. and then when criticism DOES go mainstream it's often batshit insane or... #speakupnow.... anyways!!!! thank you!!
LMFAO this is all soooo true....like Speak Up Now was the only thing people were getting on her ass about, but like even the jet emissions thing which you would think would be the number one thing people were getting her on....she is just. frankly, not getting got enough for it. She is using her jet LESS, I'll say that, but she's still flying to go to Travis's games at every possible opportunity and it's like girrllieee popppppp.....
Nobody is really pressing her on it enough for her to change her ways fully is the thing. And most importantly, she has her army on every corner of social media to insist that she has the right MORALLY to use her jet however much she wants. LMFAO!!
You are in your element! This episode is so good AND important. It's scary how much power Taylor Swift inc. has over the press, and I fear the mediocre album we will get if she doesn't get publicly critiqued soon.
The repackaging of the rerecords also seems to be a joke. Like did they just throw those photoshoots together with zero depth of thought? Yes, I think so. And yet, the money comes.
THANK YOU for telling people to stop buying the shitty merch. The variants have been bothering me for a longggg time. Am I seriously expected to buy a variant of 1989 TV just because it's a different shitty picture and a different color record for shittier recordings of the real thing? NO THANKS. I honestly find it sorta insulting, like she's treating us like braindead minions.
WELL on the topic of merch likkkeeee there is so much well made, interesting, and creative fan merch out there on Etsy and otherwise!!! There's really no reason to buy from the store anymore considering how shitty it's become, anything you could think of and even things you never could are on ETSY and beyond!!!!!!! I love buying from other fans because they're actually passionate about their businesses. Unlike the poor souls at UMG fulfillment....
Loved loved loved it!! Excellent as always, Madeline. So my question is something you and Zach have touched on. How much of the repackaging/multiples-of/“whatever” remixes do you think are done on order to get to that “most sold/streamed” status? We know there’s clearly a TON of money in the project, but it also feels like it’s about being #1 always on the charts. I do think this also correlates back to her crappier times with Kanye and Katie, when I’m sure she felt like if she could out-chart she had a faster horse in the game.
How much of it is proving herself? Again I know you guys have already talked about this but..
I do think there is something to be said for the fact that labels know they need to have multiple variants of their artist's albums in order to reach a selling goal. People are buying more physical copies of music than they have since streaming started being a thing, in large part thanks to the multiple variants and the desire that fans have to "collect" all the variations. Taylor's DEFINITELY not the only one doing it, but it just feels like everything is becoming cheaper. Think about like OG1989, she sold so many because she put in those polaroid packs and fans wanted to collect them all, but that was a GOOD marketing move and it worked and fans got something out of it. Or the Reputation magazines - you got tons of content, handwritten lyrics, and pictures. Even the Lover diaries, while sort of lame, we got something out of it.
Now it's like here you go, it's pink. LMFAO!!!!!!!! And what's crazy is..........IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!! There were polaroids in the 1989TV packages, but they were CHEAPLY, CHEAPLY made. You also get less than what we got in the originals. It just feels like she used to yes make variants so people would buy them, but she also made it WORTH IT and she went out of her way to make them desirable if not even useful for fans.
Now they're just all shit. Here's your slightly different shade of purple variant of Speak Now tv.
Long story short...........................I'M OVER IT!!
Madeline- you are outstanding here; this is your calling -- bring it on.
thank you so so so much!!!!!!!!! 💓💖💝💘🦎
Thank you for being our boots on the ground lizard. I never fully realized how recent Taylor reviews really lack… you know… review! Unfortunately snakegate has traumatized Swifties and now they see any valid critique as an attempt at another Taylor Swift is over party. They need to learn NOT EVERYONE IS OUT TO GET YOU! This is something I’m working with myself even now. My first thought when I saw the first article despite loving it, was a knee jerk reaction that she had an ulterior motive due to her platforming the second article. Thankfully I have amazing people like you to help me with this 🫶
madeline YEEEAAAAASSSSS!!!!!! i was fr clapping and cheering from my apartment as i listened to this. despite being a longtime fan i have been largely not that critical of the re-records aside from a few tracks - i guess i just don't really care much either way, stream what you want (i do!)! BUT this is sooooo fucking true. taylor needs criticism to create her best work. we have so many examples of this!!!! we need journalists like hannah (represent) to push taylor. in some ways i understand why the TIME article didn't really press her, but hearing the journalist's inner monologue and his active decision to NOT ask her to expand on the cancellation was disappointing. it's also just insane as a longtime fan to see how uncritical people have been this past year. and then when criticism DOES go mainstream it's often batshit insane or... #speakupnow.... anyways!!!! thank you!!
LMFAO this is all soooo true....like Speak Up Now was the only thing people were getting on her ass about, but like even the jet emissions thing which you would think would be the number one thing people were getting her on....she is just. frankly, not getting got enough for it. She is using her jet LESS, I'll say that, but she's still flying to go to Travis's games at every possible opportunity and it's like girrllieee popppppp.....
Nobody is really pressing her on it enough for her to change her ways fully is the thing. And most importantly, she has her army on every corner of social media to insist that she has the right MORALLY to use her jet however much she wants. LMFAO!!
On a Madeline “what I’ve missed” binge this morning. Quality!! C’est incroyable. Magnifique 🤌
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved this!! your work here is just getting better and better :)
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
We NEED to have more frank conversations like this. Thank youuuuuu and keep it coming
You are in your element! This episode is so good AND important. It's scary how much power Taylor Swift inc. has over the press, and I fear the mediocre album we will get if she doesn't get publicly critiqued soon.
The repackaging of the rerecords also seems to be a joke. Like did they just throw those photoshoots together with zero depth of thought? Yes, I think so. And yet, the money comes.
THANK YOU for telling people to stop buying the shitty merch. The variants have been bothering me for a longggg time. Am I seriously expected to buy a variant of 1989 TV just because it's a different shitty picture and a different color record for shittier recordings of the real thing? NO THANKS. I honestly find it sorta insulting, like she's treating us like braindead minions.
Clap clap clap. Encore!
WELL on the topic of merch likkkeeee there is so much well made, interesting, and creative fan merch out there on Etsy and otherwise!!! There's really no reason to buy from the store anymore considering how shitty it's become, anything you could think of and even things you never could are on ETSY and beyond!!!!!!! I love buying from other fans because they're actually passionate about their businesses. Unlike the poor souls at UMG fulfillment....
Loved loved loved it!! Excellent as always, Madeline. So my question is something you and Zach have touched on. How much of the repackaging/multiples-of/“whatever” remixes do you think are done on order to get to that “most sold/streamed” status? We know there’s clearly a TON of money in the project, but it also feels like it’s about being #1 always on the charts. I do think this also correlates back to her crappier times with Kanye and Katie, when I’m sure she felt like if she could out-chart she had a faster horse in the game.
How much of it is proving herself? Again I know you guys have already talked about this but..
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
I do think there is something to be said for the fact that labels know they need to have multiple variants of their artist's albums in order to reach a selling goal. People are buying more physical copies of music than they have since streaming started being a thing, in large part thanks to the multiple variants and the desire that fans have to "collect" all the variations. Taylor's DEFINITELY not the only one doing it, but it just feels like everything is becoming cheaper. Think about like OG1989, she sold so many because she put in those polaroid packs and fans wanted to collect them all, but that was a GOOD marketing move and it worked and fans got something out of it. Or the Reputation magazines - you got tons of content, handwritten lyrics, and pictures. Even the Lover diaries, while sort of lame, we got something out of it.
Now it's like here you go, it's pink. LMFAO!!!!!!!! And what's crazy is..........IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!! There were polaroids in the 1989TV packages, but they were CHEAPLY, CHEAPLY made. You also get less than what we got in the originals. It just feels like she used to yes make variants so people would buy them, but she also made it WORTH IT and she went out of her way to make them desirable if not even useful for fans.
Now they're just all shit. Here's your slightly different shade of purple variant of Speak Now tv.
Long story short...........................I'M OVER IT!!
Madeline - Thank you for recording this! Sooooooooo much truth!
Great pod!
I don't care what anyone says I will always listen to the original Last Kiss! The new one just doesn't cut it. Loved this review, thank you!