Taylor Swift is the most powerful person in the music business. That’s according to Billboard, which has put her on top of its annual Power 100 list.
The publication notes that the most powerful people are usually the behind-the-scenes figures, such as record company or streaming platform CEOs, lawyers and managers. But this year, the publication notes, “The mastermind behind most of the industry’s record-breaking achievements … was an artist herself.”
“Taylor Swift doesn’t refer to herself publicly as an executive, but she designed and executed one of the most ambitious, innovative and successful business plans the music industry has ever seen,” the article continues.
“Sure, she has a team behind her … by all accounts, though, she makes the bets and calls the shots — so there’s no one else we can credit for her brilliant chess moves.”
“The piece of advice I would give to the other executives on this list is that the best ideas are usually ones without industry precedent,” Taylor tells Billboard. “The biggest crossroads moments of my career came down to sticking to my instincts when my ideas were looked at with skepticism.”
“We have to take strategic risks every day in this industry, but every once in a while, you have to really trust your gut and take a flying leap,” she adds. “My rerecordings are my favorite example of this, and I’m extremely grateful to my team and fans for taking that leap with me because it absolutely changed my life.”
Another huge leap Taylor took this year was her unprecedented release of her Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film: She bypassed movie studios and made a deal directly with AMC Theatres to distribute it, instantly creating a new business model.
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