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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
11-year-old Taylor Swift knocked on every Nashville door, had them slammed in her face; now she writes the rules
Taylor Swift has changed the pop culture game for the foreseeable future. Today, she's the force even presidential hopefuls wait on for an endorsement, given her influence on youth and the massive power she holds to sway millions with one powerful post. But her rise wasn't some overnight sensation with one song blasting off the charts. It's been 19 years already since the 'Cruel Summer' singer stepped into the business, and while many know her early songs were bedroom tracks she wrote in high school—over breakups and the chaos of growing up—it didn't just catch a label's eye that easily. Before the Grammys, before the record-breaking tours, before she was Taylor Swift, she was just an eleven-year-old knocking on the doors of Nashville, the place she now calls home. Her refusal to sing anything she didn't write made her walk away from multiple deals… until the right one came along, Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Records. 19 years ago today, Taylor Swift released her first single 'Tim McGraw'. Also read: Body found near Taylor Swift's home identified: Who was Eric Wein, the 13th victim of the Rhode Island's serial killer havoc? Taylor Swift was just eleven when her parents, Scott and Andrea, realised their daughter was different. They sold their family home in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, and moved to Tennessee to be closer to Nashville, the land of country music. Her father took a job there, and her mother gave up her own career to manage Swift's. They would watched her fill notebooks with lyrics and perform at county fairs, all for one shot at Music City. Swift soon flew to Nashville with demo CDs, singing karaoke tracks that, in her own words, made her sound like a chipmunk. Her mom stayed in the car with her younger brother while Swift went door to door on Music Row asking for a record deal. ''Hi, I'm Taylor. I'm eleven. And I want to be a country music singer. Could you please pass my CD to the right person?'—that's how she introduced herself. Nobody called back. Some even shut their door, saying 'girls won't make it', but rejection didn't crush her. She came back home, realised karaoke wouldn't cut it, and picked up a 12-string guitar. Her parents said her hands were too small for it, but she practised till her fingers bled, taped them up, and kept going. By 12, she had already written 'The Outside' and a Christmas song that ended up on her early releases. At 13, Taylor Swift landed a development deal with RCA. A big breakthrough was on the line, but when they wanted her to record songs she didn't write, she walked away. The now 14-time Grammy winner was dead set on only singing what she wrote. Soon after, she signed with Sony/ATV Publishing, becoming the youngest to do so in Nashville. Taylor's middle school days were rough, while other kids talked about quizzes, dressed up, and played around, she wrote music. She once said industry rejection felt kinder than what she faced in middle school. When she met Scott Borchetta, he wanted to sign her, but had just left Universal. She signed anyway. No big building, no fat budgets, Swift and her mom used to sit on the floor stuffing promo CDs into envelopes for radio stations. Back then, Swift was hands-on with a social media platform called MySpace, pre-Instagram, pre-Twitter era, replying to fans herself. When her first single didn't hit on radio, she took it online. Her page blew up. Her team used that fan response to prove to the radio that the audience was already there. Even after breaking through, she stayed close to her fans, signing autographs until the last person went home smiling. By 2008, she wasn't just opening for Rascal Flatts, she was outselling most of the industry. Her mom said, 'She never once said she wanted to be famous. Her happiest moments are after writing a killer song. If that's where she finds joy, she'll be just fine.'
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Taylor Swift's Net Worth Set to Dramatically Change
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Taylor Swift's net worth is about to change now that the pop star has ownership of her entire music catalog, experts tell Newsweek. In a letter shared via her website on May 30, Swift announced that she had bought back the rights to the original recordings of her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation. Following a dispute with her former record label, Big Machine Records, the "Cruel Summer" singer began rerecording her early songs, adding "Taylor's Version" to each title. In 2019, Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine through his company Ithaca Holdings. As part of the deal, the record executive obtained the masters to Swift's first six albums, which he later sold to Shamrock Holdings. Now, however, in addition to the original recordings, Swift owns all of her music videos, album art, photography, unreleased songs, and concert films. "To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it," Swift said in her letter. "All I've ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy." What Is Taylor Swift's Net Worth? Swift was named a billionaire by Forbes in October 2023, and her current net worth is $1.6 billion. The publication reported that a significant portion of her income is from music royalties and touring. Last year, the 14-time Grammy Award winner wrapped up her record-breaking Eras Tour, which became the highest-grossing concert tour in history. The tour ran from March 2023 to December 2024, raking in approximately $2 billion. Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Eras Tour in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 24, 2023. Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Eras Tour in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 24, 2023. Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Per Billboard, which cited anonymous sources, the "Fortnight" singer paid approximately $360 million for the rights to all of her music. Despite the reported hefty price tag, experts tell Newsweek her income will increase. "Ownership of the six masters will undoubtedly improve Taylor's take-home pay," New York University professor Larry Miller, who is also the executive director of the Sony Audio Institute for Music Business and Technology and is the director of the Music Business Program, told Newsweek. "Under Braun's and Shamrock's ownership, Taylor declined requests to license the original masters for film and TV. Now they'll be licensed, and the old, much-loved masters will generate revenue for the rest of her life—and beyond." He added: "Taylor has a powerful, trusted relationship with hundreds of millions of fans, and she can reignite interest in those six albums in a way that no other artist, company or investor can." "Swift's music catalog generates over $100 million per year from streaming alone, and of course, that will increase now that Swift owns the rights to her earlier recordings as well. The question is, how long it will take for her to recoup the reported amount of $360 million she paid for those rights," Drew Nobile, an associate professor of Music Theory at the University of Oregon, shared. He added that Swifties—the affectionate term for Swift's fandom—who previously avoided listening to her original recordings, "might now feel they can freely listen to the older versions, which would further increase those recordings' values." "So it might be the case that the original recordings are worth more when owned by Swift than they would be in anyone else's hands," he said. "This masters ownership opens up entirely new revenue streams for Taylor," Tatiana Cirisano, vice president of Music Strategy at MIDiA Research, told Newsweek. "She will absolutely see her take-home income increase, although I can't currently speculate by how much." Joe Bennett, a forensic musicologist and professor at Berklee College of Music, echoed similar sentiments. "Reacquiring the masters will almost certainly increase her income, and may well repay the reported $360 million investment," he said. Swift May Already Be Seeing the Benefits It's been just over two weeks since Swift announced her news, and Nobile said it's likely she's already "recapturing a good chunk of her investment." "Any time there's a big Taylor Swift news story, a lot of money moves around. She's a one-woman economic force," Nobile told Newsweek. "So I'll bet data will show a spike in streams of her older albums right after this deal was announced." Cirisano said: "Fans who were not streaming the original versions of her first six albums in solidarity can do so now, and this is already leading to a streaming boost." Taylor Swift's net worth will increase after she bought back the rights to her first six albums, experts tell Newsweek. Taylor Swift's net worth will increase after she bought back the rights to her first six albums, experts tell Newsweek. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva Looking at the Bigger Picture Bennett said that while Swift's purchase has financial benefits, "the bigger picture is symbolic and artistic." "Swift has always played the long game, fully aware that every business decision is examined in detail by fans, the media, and the wider industry," he said. "So this is as much about artistic legacy and control as it is about net worth—and it sets a precedent for the artist/label relationship, in an age when it's easier than ever for artists at all levels to create and own high-quality master sound recordings." Jocelyn Neal, a professor of Music and adjunct professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, agreed. "Swift's acquisition of her original albums' masters is more significant for her than what can be measured by financial gain," Neal told Newsweek. "For her and her fans, the principle of her owning her own creations is what matters. For her whole career, she has talked about her music as the result of her own sweat and hard work, a perspective she repeated in the letter she posted. So while she stands to profit financially from this deal, the moral victory she and her fans feel is worth more to her brand in the long run," Neal said. Cirisano noted that it's "unusual for the music industry" for an artist's "name, image, and likeness rights" to be "in the same place." As such, this gives Swift "ample flexibility when it comes to opportunities like licensing her music for films, games, etc." "The world is officially her oyster, even more than it was already—I wouldn't be surprised to see a Taylor Swift theme park someday," Cirisano said.
Edmonton Journal
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Swift, Kelce rub elbows with Gretzky during Game 4 of Stanley Cup final
Article content There were rumblings ahead of Thursday's game that the couple might attend the final. A helicopter landed near Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., ahead of the game. The VIP entrance to the area was also closed off and the media elevator was not available to be used for a period of time before pregame warmups began. The pair was shown on the television broadcast during the first period of the game and throughout the Canadian broadcast feed. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Swift recently announced that she regained control over her entire body of work. In a lengthy note posted to her official website, Swift said that all the music she's made now belongs to her after she has purchased her catalog of recordings — originally released through Big Machine Records — from their most recent owner, the private equity firm Shamrock Capital. Over the last few years, Swift has been re-recording and releasing her early albums in an attempt to regain control of her music. Other celebs in attendance included former Miami Dolphins star defensive end Jason Taylor, who banged the drum before the game, and hockey greats Wayne Gretzky and Jaromir Jagr. Miami Heat captain Bam Adebayo was joined by former Heat captain Udonis Haslem on the drum on Monday. The defending champion Panthers led the best-of-seven series 2-1 heading into Thursday's game.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final between Panthers and Oilers
Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File) SUNRISE, Fla. — Pop superstar Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce were among the celebrities that flocked to Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. Kelce, a Super Bowl-winning tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is a known hockey fan along with his brother Jason Kelce. And ever since Swift and Kelce began their high-profile romance in 2023, the 14-time Grammy Award winning singer has been known to pop in on big sporting events — including the last two Super Bowls — and cause an excited frenzy for fans. There were rumblings ahead of Thursday's game that the couple might attend the final. A helicopter landed near Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, ahead of the game. The VIP entrance to the area was also closed off and the media elevator was not available to be used for a period of time before pregame warmups began. Swift recently announced that she regained control over her entire body of work. In a lengthy note posted to her official website, Swift said that all the music she's ever made now belongs to her after she has purchased her catalog of recordings — originally released through Big Machine Records — from their most recent owner, the private equity firm Shamrock Capital. Over the last few years, Swift has been rerecording and releasing her early albums in an attempt to regain control of her music. Other celebs in attendance included former Miami Dolphins star defensive end Jason Taylor, who banged the drum before the game. Miami Heat captain Bam Adebayo was joined by former Heat captain Udonis Haslem on the drum on Monday. The defending champion Panthers led the best-of-seven series 2-1 heading into Thursday's game. Alanis Thames, The Associated Press
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final between Panthers and Oilers
Pop superstar Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce were among the celebrities that flocked to Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. Kelce, a Super Bowl-winning tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is a known hockey fan along with his brother Jason Kelce. And ever since Swift and Kelce began their high-profile romance in 2023, the 14-time Grammy Award winning singer has been known to pop in on big sporting events — including the last two Super Bowls — and cause an excited frenzy for fans. There were rumblings ahead of Thursday's game that the couple might attend the final. A helicopter landed near Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, ahead of the game. The VIP entrance to the area was also closed off and the media elevator was not available to be used for a period of time before pregame warmups began. Swift recently announced that she regained control over her entire body of work. In a lengthy note posted to her official website, Swift said that all the music she's ever made now belongs to her after she has purchased her catalog of recordings — originally released through Big Machine Records — from their most recent owner, the private equity firm Shamrock Capital. Over the last few years, Swift has been rerecording and releasing her early albums in an attempt to regain control of her music. Other celebs in attendance included former Miami Dolphins star defensive end Jason Taylor, who banged the drum before the game. Miami Heat captain Bam Adebayo was joined by former Heat captain Udonis Haslem on the drum on Monday. The defending champion Panthers led the best-of-seven series 2-1 heading into Thursday's game. ___
