Taylor Swift’s impact on the record industries

By Julia Feeley

Taylor Swift is changing the record industry with her music. But how did she do it? Swift has won many awards for her music, including twelve Grammys, and then, Album of the Year award three times, along with many more. Most people have at least heard one song by this point. 

Along with winning many awards, Swift was also a huge influence on new, rising artists in the industry. In an interview with NME, Olivia Rodrigo said, “Obviously, I think she’s the best songwriter of all time, but she’s so business-savvy.” Swift has done more than just inspire with her music; she also inspires with her work ethic and how she was able to work her way through the music industry. 

Other artists Swift has influenced are Conan Gray, Phoebe Bridgers, Maisie Peters, Gracie Abrams, Troye Sivan, and Clario. While doing an interview with GQ, Conan said, “Taylor raised an entire generation of songwriters. She taught a lot of people how to write pop songs.”

Swift’s career hasn’t been perfect though; she’s had her fair share of bumps just like anyone else. 

The first record company Swift worked with was Big Machine. But the record label was sold in June 2019 along with the masters for Swift’s first five albums. But lucky for Swift, she’s been able to re-record her music. 

Without the rights to her master, Swift was not able to use any of the songs she wrote for concerts or anything else. But Swift’s rerecording of her music and labeling it Taylor’s Version is giving her the rights to her songs. She kicked this off by announcing her Eras Tour.  The tour will start on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, and it will end on August 9, 2023, in Inglewood, California. It was originally going to consist of 27 dates, but after high demand, more shows were added, bringing the total to a whopping 52 dates, breaking the record of any of her previous tours. 

Swift’s impact is far from over as she continues her Era’s Tour, and hopefully, she’ll continue to write her own songs.