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The geography of Taylor Swift - some ideas
The document explores the economic, social, and environmental impacts of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which is projected to generate over $1.5 billion for the U.S. economy while also influencing concert-goers' spending patterns and job creation within the music industry. It examines logistics, such as supply chain management and transportation, as well as issues related to sustainability, ticket pricing, and the cultural significance of her fanbase. Additionally, the document discusses the broader implications on cities visited by the tour, the temporary changes in local economies, and the criticism surrounding the environmental footprint of large-scale concerts.
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The geography of Taylor Swift - some ideas
- 1. The geography ofSwifties An enquiry into Taylornomics/Swiftonomics
- 2. The ERAS touris set to take over $1.5 billion and generate a great deal more for the economy of the USA and every country that it visits…but not without some issues…
- 3. What is theeconomic impact of a concert in a city? Suggest all the various spending that is associated with attending a concert in a city which you don’t live in (remembering that in the USA, the distances between cities are much larger than in the UK) It’s Taylor Swift’s Economy and We’re All Just Living In It. - Wall Street Journal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eras_Tour
- 4. What is theeconomic impact of a concert in a city? Suggest all the various individual spending that is associated with attending a concert in a city which you don’t live in (remembering that in the USA, the distances between cities are much larger than in the UK)
- 5. What is theeconomic impact of a concert in a city? Suggest all the various individual spending that is associated with attending a concert in a city which you don’t live in (remembering that in the USA, the distances between cities are much larger than in the UK) Don’t forget…
- 6. Employment - partand full time… The music industry consists of multiple distinctive industries and jobs like music directors, sound technicians, booking agents, broadcasters, journalists, graphic designers, songwriters, publishers, radio stations and record labels. Companies in these industries make money off of artists but rank-and-file workers don’t earn that much money. A crew on a tour largely consists of gig workers and private contractors like catering personnel, roadies and stagehands that might not have the next gig lined up after the tour ends.
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- 8. Sponsorships - fromMNCs (Multinational Companies) Who sponsors the tour and where are they based?
- 9. What are thesocial and environmental impacts of a concert in a city? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/taylor-swift-eras-tour-australia-sydney-melbourne-econom y/103438046 - mania ahead of a trip to Australia https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/music/fans-line-up-outside-melbourne-tattoo-parlour-for -taylor-swift-inspired-tattoos-c-13628987 - getting a permanent reminder of the gig
- 10. How does geographyinfluence the locations of the concerts? A key factor is the relative location and transport connections between them, as staging, sound equipment and lighting rigs are transported by truck. This has resulted in some logistical juggling at times. Source 1: https://en.as.com/entertainment/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-route-explained-n/
- 11. Logistics of thetour… Supply chain management The Taylor Swift brand cannot allow any disruption of the tour, says Nada Sanders, distinguished professor of supply chain management at Northeastern. Every concert is a major supply chain management feat, she says, and every piece has to arrive on time. “You have basically what is like a small city with all these different crews and different categories from catering to various stages to lighting to guitars to microphones and LED screens,” Sanders says. “The issue is that it has to be coordinated. It’s not like bringing them to one event at one time, but it’s also having to coordinate the movement.” To coordinate the arrival of dozens of semi trucks to one place, such a complex operation relies on real-time metrics from radio-frequency identification and GPS, as well as predictive analytics to estimate when each truck is going to arrive. https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/08/11/taylor-swift-economy-impact
- 12. Qantas added morethan 60 additional flights — that's 11,000 seats — when Swift first announced she was coming to Australia. This month, it had to add a further seven flights to continue to meet demand. Those flights are coming from Brisbane to Sydney and from Perth, Auckland and Brisbane to Melbourne. Qantas' bookings increased by a whopping 1,500 per cent when tickets went on sale compared to the same period the year before. Jetstar said nearly 10,000 passengers booked flights when the concert was announced and it had seen a steady increase in bookings over the past eight months. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/taylor-swift-eras-tour-australia-sydney-melbourne-economy/1034380 46
- 13. Costs of theshow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eras_Tour
- 14. Band ● Max Bernstein– guitar, keyboard ● Matt Billingslea – drums ● Karina DePiano – piano ● Amos Heller – bass ● Mike Meadows – guitar, keyboard ● Paul Sidoti – guitar, backing vocals ● Jeslyn Gorman – backing vocals (except the Seattle, Latin American, and Tokyo shows) ● Kamilah Marshall – backing vocals ● Melanie Nyema – backing vocals ● Eliotte Woodford – backing vocals
- 15. Demographics of aTaylor Swift audience Which group are you? Gen Z, born 1997 to 2012 - Zoomers Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996 Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980 Baby Boomers, born 1948 to 1964 Who goes to Taylor Swift concerts? What financial ‘clout’ do they have?
- 16. What’s the priceof a ticket? Who gets the money from a ticket? Ticket agencies? The artist? The venues?
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- 19. Price gouging /surge pricing
- 20. What are theimpacts in countries that the tour isn’t even reaching? Source 1: https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/press-release-2023-swifties-assemble-air-new-z ealand-adding-new-flights-to-get-fans-across-the-ditch
- 21. Merchandise - moreplastic and other resources - made in China and with a large carbon footprint, or responsibly sourced…??
- 23. Friendship bracelets Seattlestores ran out of beads as Swifties scrambled to buy them for friendship bracelets. Now imagine if Swift were to make a climate statement by promoting beads made from recycled plastics that has been removed from oceans. This would not solve the climate problem but would at least nudge Swifties to think about climate-friendly actions to demonstrate their love for Swift’s music. Broadly, without “ok boomer” type of finger pointing, we need to reflect whether current carbon intensive lifestyles are sustainable and whether the younger generation should create icons of individuals with egregious climate records. https://www.forbes.com/sites/prakashdolsak/2023/08/02/taylor-swift-and-climate-change-is-the-youth-shaking-o ff-or-embracing-carbon-intensive-lifestyles/
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- 26. Is it reallya ‘World Tour’ if it doesn’t have a concert in Africa? (or Antarctica) No concerts on the African continent. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/02/taylor-swift-accused-racism-african-colonial-fantasy-video-wild est-dreams https://www.news24.com/citypress/voices/no-taylor-swift-africa-was-not-like-that-2015090 4
- 27. Private jet usage- controversy over tracking of the jet. https://www.forbes.com/sites/prakashdolsak/2023/08/02/taylor-swift-and-climate-c hange-is-the-youth-shaking-off-or-embracing-carbon-intensive-lifestyles/
- 28. Vinyl sales Every LPrequires resources to produce. What is the relative impact of physical media over downloads / streaming? https://time.com/6223774/vinyl-records-cimate-impact-taylor-swift-midnights/ https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262537780/decomposed/
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- 31. Cultural influence Instagram: 283million followers - https://www.instagram.com/taylorswift/ And counting…. May be over 300 million by the time you see this.
- 32. Zeitgeist - hereto stay? How long will this interest last? Her fans are only young and have decades of purchasing ahead of them. After this tour…. What next? How does she rate along with other musical greats?
- 33. Nature in thelyrics https://planetforward.org/story/taylor-swift-nature-music/ “She’s in a meadow, she’s in a forest, she’s walking along a lake… It often takes a while for the lyrics to kind of sink in. You don’t really hear all the words, and then you start listening, and it’s like, ‘Oh! She keeps referencing parks and trees and creeks and lakes and all this stuff,’” Opperman observed.
- 34. Friendship / Community TheSwifties have dressed up for the occasion, with many, many thousands of them decked out in fan favourite white cowboy boots, stylish glitter dresses, prom frills, sparkles and party bling. From my £150 seat high up in the nosebleeds of this gleaming new sports venue, I feel like a bat clinging to the lip of a volcanic crater, peering down into a boiling, joyous lava that bubbles with pink sequins and flashing concert wristbands. The Swifties jingle their armfuls of friendship bracelets and are word perfect on every song; it is rare to come to such a large concert and experience such a friendly and inclusive vibe. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12399021/Taylor-Swifts-pop-tour-caused-earthquake-saved -America-recession-Britain-JAN-MOIR-takes-seat-Swifties-LA.html
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- 37. Changing places /rebranding… “Swiftie Clare” Santa Clara https://abc7news.com/taylor-swift-santa-clara-the-eras-tour-friendship-bracelets-s wiftie/13561207/ Liverpool - ‘Taylor Town’
- 38. Glendale, Arizona -changed its name in 2023 https://www.glendaleaz.com/play/swiftcity https://www.timeout.com/london/news/17-times-taylor-swift-has-mentioned-london-in-her-songs-052024 London in her lyrics
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- 40. Climate Change -a Forbes comment: We are delighted that the younger generation is having fun. After depressing Covid-19 lockdowns, this is a welcome change. But much of the entertainment seems carbon-intensive, and we find this “consumption as salvation” approach to be disturbing (apart from the moral issue surrounding conspicuous consumption, who can really afford to purchase Swift concert tickets and paraphernalia, especially in Seattle with burgeoning homeless population?). This raises questions such as whether the climate ethic of the younger generation is any different from that of boomers. Instead of OK-Boomers type of performative environmentalism, it is time to ask the tough question: how to confront our carbon-intensive lifestyles. Individuals have a choice when it comes to entertainment. Why is the younger generation gravitating toward celebrities with very high carbon footprints who flaunt their consumption-oriented lifestyle? Consumption divas such as Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have among the highest number of Instagram followers (397 million and 363 million respectively). Greta Thunberg, in contrast, has only 15 million followers. What does this reveal about the climate priorities of the younger generation? https://www.forbes.com/sites/prakashdolsak/2023/08/02/taylor-swift-and-climate-change-is-the-youth-shaking-off -or-embracing-carbon-intensive-lifestyles/
- 41. Toronto - November2024 Greater impact than hosting the World Cup in 2026 “It’s probably going to be the biggest impact a single music artist has ever had on the city over a very short period of time,” predicted Alan Cross, a music writer and radio broadcaster. “People are going to stay in hotels, go to restaurants, go shopping, hang out. Some people will go to all six shows. So, the amount of spend that’s going to happen will be huge.” https://www.thestar.com/business/swiftonomics-here-s-how-taylor-swift-s-toronto-concerts-will-impact-the-lo cal-economy/article_b93a0f74-5558-55bc-891a-9627a8ee6788.html
- 42. And finally… Why dosales of this product increase as a result of Taylor Swift concerts, which last over three hours? https://abc7news.com/taylor-swift-concert-show-diapers/13328876/
- 43. And finally… it’sbecause… https://abc7news.com/taylor-swift-concert-show-diapers/13328876/
- 44. An increase infraud cases - fake ticket sales https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/media/press-releases/2024/lloyds-bank-2024 /lloyds-bank-issues-urgent-warning-over-taylor-swift-ticket-scams.html#:~:text=Sin ce%20tickets%20went%20on%20sale%20in%20July%20last%20year%2C%20m ore,was%20more%20than%20%C2%A31%2C000.
- 45. Comparisons with othermusical greats?
- 47. And soon Taylorwill be coming to Britain… Will she boost the economy? https://www.cityam.com/swiftonomics-how-taylor-swifts-uk-eras-tour-could-boost-the-uk-economy/
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- 49. Discuss the overallimpact of the major ERAS tour. Headings for discussions / groups: - Environmental - Economic - Social - Cultural How are places being changed temporarily by the arrival of the ERAS tour?
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- 53. The emotional geographyof her lyrics Taylor Swift's 'Cornelia Street' is a poignant reflection on the significance of place in the landscape of love and memory. The song, which appears on her 2019 album 'Lover', uses the metaphor of a street in New York City to explore the depths of a romantic relationship and the fear of its potential end. Cornelia Street becomes a symbol for the experiences and moments shared between Swift and her lover, turning the location into a sacred space that holds the essence of their time together. https://www.lyricslayers.com/taylor-swift/cornelia-street/
- 54. AAG: A meetingof academic geographers As various universities have engaged in developing courses surrounding the creative worldings of Taylor Swift through her lyrics, imagery, and legal and economic impacts, geography is uniquely positioned to analyze the many facets that her work influences the real and the imaginary. From economic geography to logistics to cultural relevance to intergenerational meaning to gender and sexuality, Swift’s Eras Tour and the cultural reverberations that have emanated from it demand discussion from a geographical perspective. This panel will explore the integration of Swift and her world into both research and coursework, emphasizing the potential for increased engagement from undergraduate students and the potential for diverse geographic perspectives.