Taylor Swift wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed about music, love & her fans

Here are some photos of Taylor Swift out and about in NYC yesterday. She went to her giant mansion in Rhode Island for the holiday and brought along all of her girlfriends, plus a couple of boys (Emma Stone brought Andrew Garfield!). I feel like we’ve been oversaturated with Swifty photos and stories lately, but do you realize that it’s going to get so much worse in the coming months? Taylor has been in NYC all this time because she’s working on a new album and it will be coming out soon, probably this fall.

As a preview of coming attractions – and for further evidence that Tay-Tay is first and foremost a controlled businesswoman who understands marketing and branding at a deep level – Taylor wrote an op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. The piece is all about the future of the music industry and it’s a decent (if lengthy) read – you can read the full piece here. Swifty’s argument is basically that there’s still a need/desire for big musical acts, for big music, for falling in love with new music. Not only is there still that need, Swifty says, but it can still be profitable.

In recent years, you’ve probably read the articles about major recording artists who have decided to practically give their music away, for this promotion or that exclusive deal. My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet…is that they all realize their worth and ask for it.

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.

… However, some artists will be like finding “the one.” We will cherish every album they put out until they retire and we will play their music for our children and grandchildren. As an artist, this is the dream bond we hope to establish with our fans. I think the future still holds the possibility for this kind of bond, the one my father has with the Beach Boys and the one my mother has with Carly Simon.

I think forming a bond with fans in the future will come in the form of constantly providing them with the element of surprise. No, I did not say “shock”; I said “surprise.” I believe couples can stay in love for decades if they just continue to surprise each other, so why can’t this love affair exist between an artist and their fans?

[From The Wall Street Journal]

She’s smart. I’ve never said she wasn’t smart… about music. About her career. I think she might be kind of dumb in love/relationships, but she’s getting better. She’s always been very, very smart about her career and how she interacts with her fans and that’s been very profitable for her. So… good for her, I guess. I’m not sure if I should be nervous or excited about her new album. We’ll see.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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