#but also we can’t buy Taylor swift tickets until like the day of the concert

[sluttyten]

So I’ve been given the potential opportunity in a few weeks to either 1) go visit one of my close work friends who moved 2.5 hours away like 6mos ago, but if I do that it means working with her and our other work friend at her store, which means working 12 days straight, 2 of which would be at a store that is absolute insanity, OR 2) I could not do that and instead possibly get last minute Taylor Swift tickets with my best friend and head 2.5 hours in the opposite direction

[reasonsforhope]

Yesterday [April 30, 2024], a bipartisan collection of US Senators introduced the Fans First Act, which would help address flaws in the current live event ticketing system by increasing transparency in ticket sales, and protecting consumers from fake or dramatically overpriced tickets.

Today, the artists and Congressmen allege, buying a ticket to a concert or sporting event requires negotiating a minefield of predatory practices, such as speculative ticket buying and the use of automated programs to buy large numbers of tickets for resale at inflated prices.

The legislation would ban such practices, and include provisions for guaranteed refunds in the event of a cancellation.

The political campaign organizers, calling themselves “Fix the Tix” write that included among the supporters of the legislation is a coalition of live event industry organizations and professionals, who have formed to advocate on behalf of concertgoers.

This includes a steering committee led by Eventbrite [Note: lol, I'm assuming Eventbrite just signed on to undermine Ticketmaster and for PR purposes] and the National Independent Value Association that’s supported by dozens of artistic unions, independent ticket sellers, and of course, over 250 artists and bands, including Billie Eilish, Dave Matthews, Cyndi Lauper, Lorde, Sia, Train, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, and hundreds more which you can read here.

“Buying a ticket to see your favorite artist or team is out of reach for too many Americans,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

“Bots, hidden fees, and predatory practices are hurting consumers whether they want to catch a home game, an up-and-coming artist, or a major headliner like Taylor Swift or Bad Bunny. From ensuring fans get refunds for canceled shows to banning speculative ticket sales, this bipartisan legislation will improve the ticketing experience.”

Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Peter Welch (D-VT) also signed on to the Fan First Act.

In the House, parallel legislation was just passed through committee 45-0.

[Note: That's a really good sign. That kind of bipartisan support is basically unheard of these days, and rare even before that. This is strong enough that it's half the reason I'm posting this article - normally I wait until bills are passed, but this plus parallel legislation with such bipartisan cosponsors in the senate makes me think there's a very real chance this will pass and become law by the end of 2024.]

“We would like to thank our colleagues, both on and off committee, for their collaboration. This bipartisan achievement is the result of months and years of hard work by Members on both sides of the aisle,” said the chairs and subchairs of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“Our committee will continue to lead the way on this effort as we further our work to bring this solution to the House floor.”

“The relationship between artist and fan, which forms the backbone of the entire music industry, is severed,” the artists write. “When predatory resellers scoop up face value tickets in order to resell them at inflated prices on secondary markets, artists lose the ability to connect with their fans who can’t afford to attend.”

-via Good News Network, May 1, 2024

[danikamariewrites]

hi there!!! how are you?? hope everything is fine 🫶🏻🫶🏻

now, i was thinking something, i started to listen to taylor swift (I'm obsessed with her, and I love her so much 😭❤️‍🩹), and i just know that Aelin would be one of her biggest fans and also reader.

so imagine modern rowaelin taking reader to a taylor concert, like it was her dream and they would do anything for her 😭😭

SENDING LOVE!!! LOVE U!!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Eras Tour headcanon

Modern!Rowaelin x reader

A/n: they absolutely would be swiftys and would have a great time at this concert

When Taylor announced the Eras Tour you were so unbelievably excited

You ran into Rowan’s home office demanding a meeting in the living and then went to Aelin’s office demanding the same thing

You already had the power point set up on the tv as to why the three of you should go to the tour

The two of them sat, letting you finish your presentation with huge smiles on their face

Yeah Aelin and Rowan are Taylor fans and would go obviously but you felt the need to convince them

“And that concludes why we should go to the Eras tour. Thank you. Questions, concerns, hopes, dreams?”

“Obviously we’re gunna go!” Aelin yelled and you both jumped up and down holding hands screaming

The two of you looked to Rowan waiting for his answer, “What ever makes my girls happy. And I love Taylor too. I’m obviously dressing as Midnights.”

You all register for the presale and buy something from her website to give you a boost

By the grace of the Gods Rowan got the email with a presale codes

Aelin was so happy she started crying

The day of the presale you all took the day off work

The three of you got up early, you made a starbucks run while Aelin went and got food and Rowan sat in the living room watching his laptop with Ticketmaster open (we all sat there and watched Ticketmaster an hour before don’t lie)

You were so anxious you could barley eat

You and Aelin did chug your coffees tho which you might regret later

When it was time you were all yelling at the computer to load

Then the worst thing happened….Ticketmaster froze and no one knew what was happening

“What happened? Rowan what did you touch?” “Nothing Aelin! It just did that.” “No no no no no no no no WHAT IF WE DONT GET TICKETS!” “DONT SAY THAT Y/N!”

Of course you and Aelin scroll TikTok to find out what happened

You both made sure Rowan kept his eyes on the computer

When you jumped to the front of the line and could buy tickets you started screaming

“WE CAN CELEBRATE AFTER LETS GET THESE FUCKERS!” You yell

Rowan quickly picked out 3 floor seats bc they have money and want this to be a fun experience

And when he hit purchase and actually had the tickets the screaming started again

You were relieved and so very tired

So tired that you and Aelin ended up napping on the couch together for 3 hours

Now the real fun begins

Waiting for the show and picking/making your outfits is sm fun

Rowan goes as Midnights and Aelin can’t believe he picked a fun sparkly blue outfit

Aelin goes as reputation and has the coolest snake bodysuit

You go as Fearless and wear a gold sparkly dress with white boots

When the day came you were all so excited

You drew 13 on your hand and Rowan and Aelin’s

You got to the stadium super early

Got the merch you wanted (all 3 of you got the blue crew neck and a tshirt)

When Taylor took the stage you and Aelin didn’t stop screaming and singing and jumping around

Rowan obviously sang and danced with you guys

You cried during Marjorie

The surprise songs were your favorites

When the show was over you were dead tired

You couldn’t feel your feet and Aelin was begging Rowan to carry her

Rowan had made sure to hire a car for the night so you guys wouldn’t have to worry about driving home

He definitely carried both of you to the car

You were both falling asleep on his shoulder until he suggested McDonalds

The driver stopped and you got so much food

You pig out until you get home

When you get home it’s 1 am and you don’t even think you can change

The three of you just wash your face and strip passing out in a heap on the bed

[capnmarvell]

Can’t believe I was able to snap these photos 🥲 Arlington TX, 4/1 (Night #2 aka the night of THREE Death By A Thousand Cuts bridges)

I’ve been a fan of Taylor’s since 2007. She has the same first name as me, and for a long time I hated how common it was. Every year there were at least 1 or 2 other Taylor’s in my class. And I was never the Taylor people called out to. I felt totally invisible.

Then one day driving home from school I turned on the radio and heard the first chorus of Teardrops on My Guitar and fell in love. “Who is this?” I thought. I’d never heard this singer. Once the song was over the deejay said it was Taylor Swift, a new artist who’s album just came out a few months prior. That was it for me.

I asked my dad to buy me her Debut CD, and played it on repeat on my little portable stereo in my room. Taylor helped me love my name again. She felt like the friend I didn’t have at that age. She was exactly what little 11 year old Taylor needed that day in 2007.

For years I dreamed of seeing her live. My family could never afford concert tickets, and to be fair my parents also had no idea when she was touring and how to even go about buying concert tickets, and I was never really on the internet until I was about 16 so I didn’t even know when she was touring either. We were all horribly internet-challenged 😅. I even remember when I’d learned she had a concert after the fact, because girls from my school would come in the following school day showing off their merch and talking all about it and just being devastated I missed it. Then when I actually did know she was touring, it was just something we either could never afford, and had no way of getting to said concert 🥲.

And despite never being able to afford merch or attend concerts, I’d still always get the CDs and spend hours just getting lost in the stories Taylor told through her songs. I’ve grown with her these last 16 years. We’ve both been through loss, love, and heartbreak. I don’t think i’ll ever stop listening to her.

I lost “The Great War” for presale tickets to the Eras Tour, and chalked it all up to being another concert I can’t attend. But seeing as how big Taylor has gotten and will continue to get, I decided it’s probably now or never. So, I’m sorry, but I did buy a scalper ticket. I didn’t get any boosts for the presale, and wasn’t picked for any of the second chance sales and what have you, so unfortunately scalpers were my only choice. I don’t regret it, though, because it put me the closest I’ll ever be to Taylor in my lifetime. She put on an amazingly incredible show, one I will never, ever forget.

I got to scream the bridges of “Cruel Summer,” “Champagne Problems,” “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” and “Betty.” I cried while she sang “Marjorie,” the song I can’t listen to without thinking of the loss of my mom. And best of all I got to laugh and smile along with my favorite artist of all time, live and in person 10 ft in front of me for 3 solid hours.

I love you Taylor 💕✨

Signed, the-girl-who-loves-her-name-now Taylor

[jamesv-t]

Gig Survey 2019

Top 5 shows of the year?

Zara Larsson, Electric Brixton, 22nd May

Carly Rae Jepsen, XOYO London, 29th May

Rammstein, Franchise FC stadium Milton Keynes, 6th July

Kylie/Clean Bandit, Brighton Pride, 6th August

Aly & AJ, Scala London, 11th July

Lucy Rose, Barbican Theatre London, 4th December

Anavae, Concorde 2 Brighton, 6th November

Marina, Brighton Centre, 5th November

Jenny Lewis, Concorde 2 Brighton, 24th July

Ariana Grande, O2 London, 19th August

Total number of shows?

Seventeen, up six from last year.

First show of the year?

Lucy Rose at Resident Records, Brighton, on the 22nd March.

Last show of the year?

Lucy Rose at the Barbican Theatre in London, 4th December.

Most surprising show?

Zara Larsson. I was gently bullied into going - Dana suggested it, and then prodded me towards going in the hope that I’d be disappointed and ramp down my listening of her. Instead I was surprised at how good she was, and how much I enjoyed the set!

Most disappointing?

Lucy Rose in Brussels, through no fault of the artist herself - I overheated and fainted for the first time in my life three songs in, and so missed a large chunk of the set due to recovering in the foyer.

Farthest travelled?

Ancienne Belgique in Brussels - 255 miles or 409 km away from home.

States attended shows in?

Cheerful, grateful, euphoric, terrified, bored, knackered - and new for 2019, unconscious!

Venue most visited?

Concorde 2 in Brighton, twice.

Worst injury?

Nothing! I did bang my head when I fainted at Lucy Rose, but I totally calculator pineapple.

Most expensive ticket?

£60 plus fees for Rammstein. Worth every single penny.

Band seen the most?

Lucy Rose 2.2 times, just ahead of Anavae with two complete sets.

Best new discovery?

I was vaguely aware of Clean Bandit before due to them featuring artists that I care about (and Demi Lovato) on their album, but I didn’t click with them until their Pride set. Other than that, I’ve stayed fairly within my lane.

Bands seen this year that also broke up this year?

None!

Friends made at shows?

Every gig I went to was either with Dana or my family, save the Zara Larsson gig and I was feeling too anti-social to interact with the posers or the stans who filled the first few rows around me. 

Band members met?

Becca and Jamie from Anavae, and Lucy Rose - but I feel like it doesn’t count when they either took your wedding photos or have been shown them after a gig! Apart from that the obligatory Carly Rae Jepsen photo in a Rammstein t-shirt post gig, a brief exchange with Jenny Lewis before her set, and some grateful smiles from both Zara Larsson and her younger sister (supporting) at me actually enjoying myself during their sets.

Best souvenir from a show?

I didn’t get that much from shows this year. Zara’s shirts were not to my tastes, we’d got all the Anavae merch they were selling, and while I liked the dual pastel pink/faded orange Ariana Grande shirt, I didn’t like it enough to drop £35 on it. I had no such problems buying another Carly Rae Jepsen t-shirt, and a medium hoodie that was far too small for me in May but fits me now; I also got a Rammstein tour tee which features a very me design. Away from shows but still music related I received a Romance shirt from the Camila Cabello listening party that exposes my belly in a way that flatters nobody. I also went a bit crazy on new years day when, after watching the Taylor Swift reputation tour movie on Netflix for the fourth time, I got an email advertising discounts on her store. I picked up two more rep era t-shirts and some additional items when I realised I could spend £40 on shipping or the same amount on the softest, most comfortable hoodie I’ve ever worn!

Longest time in line?

About three hours before Carly, but it was completely worth it. We were on the barriers at Pride about eight hours before Kylie hit the stage, but we had other acts that we were interested in playing beforehand so that doesn’t count.

Shows seen from the barricade [front row]?

Oh, that’s a nice segue. Kylie from the pleb barrier, Lucy from the front row at the Barbican, and Jenny Lewis. We’ve also been very near the front at Anavae, Zara, Carly, and Aly & AJ.

Most shows in one month?

May had 3 and a half.

Most shows in one week?

Two, Marina and Anavae in successive days in November.

Biggest crowd?

Rammstein had 32,000 in Milton Keynes. No crowd size given for Kylie at Brighton Pride, though.

Any drunk encounters?

I’m fairly certain that the beer and chocolate tour around Brussels before Lucy Rose didn’t help my situation. I demonstrated that my lesson had been learned by having several beers before her gig at the Barbican in December - however these were free, courtesy of Camila Cabello’s record label. 

Top 5 best 2019 concert moments:

1. In keeping with my habit of wearing Rammstein shirts to pop gigs, I decided that it was only fair to wear a pop shirt to the Rammstein gig in July. After several Twitter polls I settled on my new Carly Rae Jepsen t-shirt. As you’d expect, this got me a few odd glances, as well as some positive comments (several people declared it the most metal thing they’d seen) but one in particular stood out. Passing the merch queue while looking for our seats I was suddenly yanked into a handshake and a hug by a very tall bearded gentleman, who explained that among their group of friends they were having a competition for band t-shirts, awarding each other points for each nominated artist spotted. They’d also picked a surprising artist each, on the proviso that they’d get 250 points (a near unassailable lead) if it was spotted - and this gentleman had picked Carly Rae Jepsen as his choice!

2. Zara Larsson. I know I shouldn’t be surprised that a Swede does pop well, but I was going in expecting Dua Lipa levels of charisma, and was surprised at her energy levels, enthusiasm, and general commitment!

3. Speaking of enthusiastic performances with high energy, Carly brought her traditional levels to London for a set that showed just how good she really is, and how much the general public are missing out by sleeping on her.

4. Marina (formerly of & The Diamonds) impressed me. Aided by a very enthusiastic crowd (it was the first time she’d performed in Brighton in seven years, and many of those attending didn’t look old enough to have gone to that last gig) it became a positive feedback loop - everything would galvanise the crowd, which she’d feed off of and up her game, which just excited the crowd further!

5. I got to see my childhood crush perform 15 minutes walk from my flat, and she included the campest, Euro-poppiest album track in the encore as a nod to the audience.

Top 3 worst 2018 concert moments:

1. Fainting was weird. I don’t much care for it.

2. I didn’t get home from Rammstein until half past 3 in the morning. I’m not young enough to cope with nights that late any more!

3. Genuinely can’t think of anything else negative to put here. Let’s see off the year on a high then!

[sometimes-we-wonder]

I’ll never forget discovering Taylor. For me, it was 2007. I heard Teardrops On My Guitar on the radio and it honestly just spoke to me like no other song ever had. I had no idea what the song was called, but I was on the hunt to find out! It was 2007 okay I couldn’t just ask Siri to tell me what song it was or google the lyrics on my phone. I mean I could’ve googled them at home on my dial up Internet but I was kind of an idiot alright I was 12. Anyway, at school the next week I was telling my friend about the song and she KNEW THE NAME. I was over the moon. After that it was all over for me. I spent hours on the Internet rewatching the few music videos Taylor had out at the time. I watched every interview she had done. I learned her story and she became my friend. I begged for her album for Christmas that year and I got it! That was the first of many Taylor Swift themed Christmas presents I’ve received over the years. That entire day I stayed in my room with the album on repeat. I followed along in the lyric booklet so I could sing along. I remember when I discovered that random letters were capitalized and I started decoding. I felt like I had a secret with her. She sang the words my heart was feeling but my brain never knew how to say. I’d never listened to country music in my life, but something in me changed that day.

I’d always loved music. I wanted to be a singer more than anything in the world. When I found Taylor, she made me believe in myself. It was the first time I had hope that it could really happen for me. I started emailing record labels, inspired by Taylor’s story of course, though my parents didn’t take me to Nashville to do so. I emailed Scott Borchetta (his email was right on the Big Machine website lol). He declined my request for a record deal, probably on account of me being a 12 year old with no demo or really anything to convince him that I should have a record deal. Oh well! Life went on.

A couple of Christmas’s later, I got my first guitar. My dad is a musician and got us kid-sized guitars when we were really young. But I never had the desire to play. Once I discovered Taylor, I was not only inspired, I NEEDED to learn to play. I started playing and writing all the time. It changed my life.

I remember the day Fearless came out. I got a call early in the morning that woke me up. It was my dad. He told me to come outside (my parents are divorced). Confused, I went outside and he was standing there with a Target bag containing Taylor’s new album. He went as soon as they opened and got it for me. I’ll never forget that moment. I went back inside, got in bed, and listened to the entire thing on my portable CD player. I decoded all the secret messages, again, which always made me feel so close to Taylor. The Fearless era started my days of rushing home to catch Taylor on Ellen or Oprah or TRL. So it began that anytime anyone in the house saw anything about Taylor, my name was called.

I was extra excited when Speak Now came out. Why? Because I finally had my license and could drive myself to Target to buy the album all by myself! I felt so grown up. After school, I rushed to Target. I came home, laid on the floor, and listened to it for the first time, decoding the messages. Speak Now came for me at a really important time. I fell in love for the first time and there are some really great love songs on that album. I had a wonderful night at my first Homecoming Dance and Enchanted described it perfectly. I also had some downfalls, which Dear John and Last Kiss helped me understand.

By the time Red came out, I was a freshman in college living in a brand new city. I was in a whole other world. I took the school shuttle to Target and bought the album, sitting in silence and feeling alone on the ride back. Normally when I got an album, I was boasting and jumping for joy. But being a freshman in college in a new city, I felt pretty isolated a lot of times. I got back to my dorm room, put the CD in my laptop, plugged in my headphones, and listened. A few months prior I’d gone through my first breakup, which I was nowhere near healed from. Red gave me all of the songs I needed to understand my feelings and to process my emotions. Yet again, Taylor was there for me when it felt like no one was. She always knows what I need to hear and when I need to hear it.

Ah, 1989. I was 20 years old, living in my very first apartment. I was SO happy and carefree. 1989 was an album full of anthems perfect for driving in my car with the windows down. I did that MANY times. It felt like 1989 gave me permission to be myself and to just live my best life, honestly. It was also the era that I discovered the Taylor Swift portion of this website. I made my tumblr when I was 15, so I could fangirl over All Time Low (lol). Then I started discovering there was more to Tumblr, like quotes and images I could relate to. That’s what Tumblr became for me for many years. I actually spent a good amount of time away from the website because, stupid as it sounds, it felt like something my ex-boyfriend and I used to do all the time and it honestly just hurt to be on the website for a while. But I found you guys in the 1989 era. It was the first time I felt like people understood this part of me. Sure, I had friends who liked Taylor. But I’ve considered Taylor to be my best friend since I was 12 years old. My friends weren’t decoding albums or staying up late watching the same music videos over and over again. I finally felt understood and accepted. Like I found my people!! I felt closer to Taylor than ever before as she started the Secret Sessions and Swiftmas. Watching you guys get to have these special moments with Taylor has made me feel so close to both you guys and her.

1989 was also the first time that I got to see Taylor live. Growing up, I remember my mom trying to get me tickets, but they were selling out in minutes. It was impossible! But when 1989 came around, I had my own car, my own job, and therefore my own money. I could do whatever I wanted!!! I bought my tickets the second they want on sale and booked a hotel. I’d never been so excited for a concert before! When Taylor came onstage, I immediately started crying. I couldn’t get my shit together until four songs in. I just couldn’t believe it. There she was! My best friend! Taylor! She was right there! I felt closer to her than ever before (I mean, I was physically closer to her than ever before, but you know what I mean). That was absolutely one of the best nights of my life.

When reputation was announced, I literally fell to the floor. This was an important one for me because it was the first time my boyfriend Josh got to see me through an album release. Spoiler alert: I didn’t scare him away! I spent so much time on Tumblr hanging out with you guys getting ready for the new era. Listening to songs together for the first time, watching music videos together for the first time. It was so special to me. When LWYMMD came out, Josh ordered pizza for us and hung out with me while I hung out with you guys online. It meant so much to me that he would do that with me. I got to go to both Florida dates on the rep tour, which meant the world to me.

So I guess that’s my Taylor story! I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Taylor. She’s made me stronger, kinder, and really just a better person overall. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have picked up a guitar. Who knows if I would’ve even taken music so seriously? Taylor was the voice I needed to make me believe in myself. She’s gotten me through countless heartaches and a lot of good times too. I’ve made friends because of her, I’ve traveled because of her. There’s just so much in my life that is a direct result of Taylor. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing woman to look up to. Here’s to another 13 years, Miss Swift. I can’t wait to see what the Lover era brings!

@taylorswift

[youcomeback]

sorry i just need a place to rant real quick 🫶

this ticket buying process was so horrible there aren’t enough words. like it just sucked. from its inception it was run horrendously. there was no clarity about the presale and no guidance as to what we could expect. no clear indication of pricing and the stage layout wasn’t even confirmed until the day of.

i try not to feel like i’m owed things, but at the end of the day i was the consumer of a product and we were treated just … horrendously? leaving the prices alone (which … completely disgusting there’s not enough words to describe how fully amoral it is to ever sell a $1000 face value ticket) ticketmaster being unreliable and unapologetic about the fact that their website was unprepared to do its singular job is just so belittling and the process was demoralizing. to try to gaslight us into thinking that things we beyond their control when there were hundreds of different options they could have chosen for this roll out. this tour didn’t just pop into thin air three weeks ago? taylor swift didn’t become famous five days ago?? there’s simply no excuse

and i get that ticketmaster is at fault but at the end of the day ticketmaster is the middleman for whoever is in charge of this tour and taylor/umg/13 management/ whoever shouldn’t feel like they can just wash their hands of it and say oh well this wasn’t our fault. at the end of the day these venues and these artists are ticketmaster’s customers. they signed contracts with a company that doesn’t respect their consumers so like …. what are you going to do about it? are these venues going to say anything are these artists going to say anything?

anyways it’s whatever. i’m privileged to now have a job where i will be able to find taylor tickets and i also am grown enough to know that while taylor concerts have been a part of my life maybe that just can’t be the case. i guess at the end of the day i just feel disrespected and powerless about that treatment. but u live and u move on

[mesmerizing-imagines]

Shawn Mendes Imagine

A/N: This is a more dramatic imagine because why not?? Right

You never wanted it to go this way. It’s not like you planned to purposely sabotage the best relationship you have ever had. It was chaotic and out of context. 

Shawn was out of town, as usual. He wasn’t on tour yet but he was having his fair shares of award shows, interviews and other events. You were in college, hundreds thousands of miles away. Everyone knew you two were together. You received a lot of hate, but also a lot of love. You and Shawn had met at a hotel when you were in the gym at 3am because you couldn't sleep. Neither of you could sleep back then, and neither of you can fall asleep now.

“Shawn I’m sorry”, you screamed into your phone. “I didn’t even know what happened until I saw it on twitter. I blacked out! Last night wasn’t supposed to happen like that!” You were hoping for a ‘it’s okay’ or a ‘we will look past it’, but Shawns voice was filled with hostility. “You’re trash. I meet so many women every day! I just performed at a Taylor Swift concert where its a stadium filled with thousands of girls and I didn’t go home with anyone. You could do the same.” 

You could feel your heart sink. You were always jealous of the girls who got to see him perform and be in his presence. Yeah, you have seen him perform but you were jealous of everyone that night. “You’re never here, Shawn,” you voice wavered between anger and heart break. “You knew what you were getting into. I warned you, I said it in the beginning! We met when I was traveling and jet lagged! What did you expect? We made a deal, you get your degree then you can tour with me! You have 2 years left, you really couldn't wait?!” the volume in his voice was lowering. He wasn’t screaming anymore.. “Please just tell me you didn’t sleep with him,” it was sad and pleading. His voice begging the best from you.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so” you said trying to remember. “You don’t know?! Did you wake up in another mans bed or not?! The pictures show you leaving the club with that douche-bag friend of yours!” “He’s not a douche-bag! He’s my friend, and he said he was taking care of me! I woke up in his bed, but I don’t think anything happened! I was probably too sick to do anything, I throw up when I drink you know this,” you tried to sound reasonable to him, to calm him down. “Yeah well pictures of you two grinding and making out isn’t innocent. I’m over this. I have an interview later so leave me alone,” and with that he hung up.

You waited for a second, unsure of what to do. Last night you and your friend went out to party because the semester had just ended- meaning you had a surprise ticket to visit Shawn in LA before he left for who knows where. Your flight leaves at 2 pm, and it was 9 am. You spent the next few hours debating if you should show your face to the public, all morning you were being bashed by his fans. But finally you decided you needed to make it right. 

After several hours, you packed your things and headed to the airport. You sported a baseball cap with sunglasses, because one you still felt sick from last night and two you didn’t want to draw attention. The flight felt like forever, the whole time you listened to Shawns music. You had “Don’t be a fool on repeat” afraid it would be your future. 

You walked into the building his manager sent you the address to. Hopefully his schedule was still the same as it was planned a  month ago. Up the elevator you went bracing yourself for the worst. You opened the door, he was having a photoshoot with a single photographer. That’s it, it was only the two of them there. Your body stopped moving, “Um, I can come back,” you felt like what you were doing was wrong. “No, were finished. I have another appointment to get to. See you Shawn,” the photographer said rushing out the door with his camera still out of its bag. 

Shawn was still looking down as you walked closer to him. He slowly raised his head, “What are you doing here?” “I’ve had this planned for a month now. To finish the semester and come visit you. I didn't buy a ticket back because I was hoping to spend the summer with you. Last night was a celebration for the semester ending and a going away party...” His eyes showed he was fed up with this.

“I trusted it you,” was all that he said. “I spoke to him. He said he didn’t realize it was me until it was too late, and thats why he took me home. He said he realized I passed my limit and he didn’t want me to make anymore mistakes”, you were being honest. “Wow, what a hero,” Shawn said with harsh sarcasm. He then scoffed, “Maybe you should be with him, since he's there and he can be with you. I know that’s what you want.” “Shawny, I don't want him though. I want to be with you. I would do anything for you,” your heart was breaking. He was ending the relationship and you knew it. 

“I don't want a girlfriend who cheats on me, and parties her life away,” he was not budging. “If I could take it back I would, but I can’t. I rarely drink, I don't even drink enough to know my limits. But if you don’t love me and you want me gone then I will go,” tears were streaming down your cheeks. Shawns eyes were glassy, but unreadable. “I think we need a break, I don’t want to do this right now. I’ll visit you in a week, but for now just leave me alone.” And with that the conversation was over. 

[xxbbrrooookkee]

I can’t believe I actually get to say that there are 13 more sleeps until I see @taylorswift again in Toronto for the Reputation tour! The day after Seattle I was so sad that I wasn’t going to another show, that I decided to buy tickets to another show. Except this show in Toronto isn’t going to be like my other Taylor concerts in Vancouver and Seattle. I’m from Toronto and I’ve never seen her play there because I moved to Vancouver in 2010. This is going to be such a special and magical night, I cried when I bought the tickets. Even more than just seeing her in my home city for the first time, I got to surprise my “god sister” for her 16th birthday with floor tickets to both nights (also surprised her with these outfits). She’s never been to a Taylor concert before, so I’m so beyond happy that I get to be a part of her first Taylor concert. She thinks we’re sitting in row 29 & 33 but I upgraded us to row 11 & 16 and she has NO idea :) Everything about the night is going to be so amazing, and I know it’s going to be filled with so many happy tears to. I’ve been a fan of Taylor since 2009 when she saved my life with her song “change” (it’s a long story), and I’m not one to reblog my own posts or beg for others to reblog it, but I really hope that one day I will be able to thank Taylor for saving my life in person. Even though there is no question that I’m still going through a lot, I’ve been able to see my godsister grow up from a kid to a gorgeous young girl, meet my niece who is now 3 years old, and hear 7 “Taylor Swift CD’s”, all of which I wouldn’t have been able to do without her song “Change”. I also REALLY hope she sings Change one night in Toronto, hearing that song live would... I don’t even know. Finally, I just want to say congratulations to everyone who has had the opportunity to meet Taylor (once or 11 times who cares). I’m so happy for all of you. And thank you to Taylor, Taylor Nation and Andrea for making so many of Taylor’s fan’s dreams come true. No matter what happens with whatever rule, at the end of the day, we need to be thankful for what we have, not sad that we got denied rep room/etc. If we’re talking about not getting into rep room, at least we’re still alive, and that’s big. Every day that goes by, I’m thankful that I’m alive because there are so many times I don’t want to be. I hope my time to meet Taylor will come one day, but I’m not holding my breath, just living and seeing what will happen. Just be thankful your alive and able to talk about rep room, there are some people out there that don’t have clean water and are struggling to eat and survive... if rep room is our biggest concern, I’d say we’re doing pretty well and should step back and think about what others are dealing with. That’s all. I can’t wait to finally start my 13 sleep countdown 💜 Thank you Taylor for being my inspiration, role model, hero, and for just being the person you are. I appreciate you so much and wish you the happiest life, you deserve it. Stay safe 😘 @taylornation @reptourupdates @reptournotices @taylorswift

[todaysbiggesthits]

The Exam

Best Music Moment of 2020

Bin: Re-discovering 1990s alt-rock and listening to some previously unknown and/or forgotten jams culminating with discovering that Cherub Rock is an all-time track

Chap: Dancing to Frank Sinatra with my kids on NYE

Bronco: Started jamming with John on Rocksmith.  He pointed out that there was a multiplayer mode, so I ordered another cable and, lo and behold, we were both able to play.  He's starting to learn the bass while I continue to tinker with the guitar.  Pretty awesome to jam out to some Alice in Chains or some Mastodon with my 10-year-old son. Only two more years and he should be able to tour with Korn!

Code: - climbed up to the roof for 4th of july and brought the big set outside to jam at an ear splitting volume. Arden and i danced until we got almost too drunk to descend the ladder. that was major fun. - broke quarantine (and my smoking cessation plan) in late april to ride my bike to the lake and listen to townes van zandt while thinking of bobcat the wheelie king. - listening to shadowplay while closing out each opponent in a summerlong match play tournament. - watching the sun rise through the fog on an october morning while crossing the mississippi river with elliott smith's XO

JD: July: Sitting by the window watching a rainstorm with the Barwick album on the day it came out. October: A big spin of The Big Ship. November: Blasting “House of Jealous Lovers” when they called the election and turning it into a 2.5 hour club mix. November: jj having a violently negative reaction to a song by that Muzz band that came on shuffle and saying it sounded like Jason Mraz.

BC: Haphazard attempt at The Music Game over Zoom in April with last partiers standing - JD, Maddy, and I  "Live Drugs" first listen

Larse: Probably  streaming through YouTube Music's Top Indie 2020 on my Chromecast TV and seeing all of the music videos for the songs on a lazy weekday afternoon whilst I wasn't working over the holidays

Best Shows Seent in 2020

Code: pqc - 10th anniversary show (streamed) silver jews - final show (01/31/2009) a handful of live phish performances while facetiming with jonas, bc and geoff not a single in-person show attended

Nasty:"Dinner  and a Movie" series - Phish Youtube with BC, Code, and Dillon via facetime

JD: 1. Peel Dream Magazine at whatever they call Hi-Fi now on the day before lockdown 2. Real Estate busking on the sidewalk in front of closed record store locations in Manhattan 3. Parkay Boys’ 10th anniversary stream on my couch

Laser: Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson One in Vegas in January…that was the only show even remotely related to music I saw all year

Bronco: Only seent one, and it was Cold War Kids with my wife.  Had a really good time.  It was nice to share some quality music time together, away from the kids for a night... basically the only time of this butthole of a year.

Chap: Ted Lasso

BC: Yeeeahhh right

Confession of 2020

JD: I think I engaged with Aerosmith music videos more than any new albums.

BC: Listening to new music often feels like a chore

Rotty: I played over 75 rounds of golf this year…another ample opportunity to listen to new music and I found myself just listening to Classic Pop/Rock Hits!

Codem: - i didn't even listen to taylor swift's album. - i listened to bob marley - live! for the first time in 20 years while driving my dad's car and i sobbed and sang.

Nasty: I'm a phish fan now?

Bronco: I'm still reading the book I mentioned in last year's Resolution for 2019 Status...such a slow fucking reader and this book is 1000 pages.  Kindle app says I'm 63% of the way through.  Jesus.

Biggest Disappointment of 2020

Nasty: Still Kanye...

NACK: Sufjan Stevens

Code: - no shows with my sweet one - no stones while waiting for the canons - i think i grew out of diet cig - i didn't put my heart into finding cool album art this year. 

Larson: JD's wedding being cancelled (editor’s note: sure hope you mean postponed)

JD: Don’t know if it was my advanced age, the lack of concerts, commuting, and hearing music in bars and restaurants, or the platform economy murdering my attention span and turning them all into yet more ephemeral ‘content,’ but the new albums really didn’t take this year.

Bronco: Kvelertak was okay, they changed lead singers and the new album was fine, but after their last offering that landed quite high on my list, this one was kind of a let down. Also, 2020.

BC: 2020

Most Overrated of 2020

Chap: Fiona

BC: I fully expect Fiona Apple to flood this answer.  But the correct answer is Waxahachee. 

JD: It’s hard to say given the way ‘institutional’ narratives feel mostly guided by risk minimization, but I always keep this seat warm for Run the Jewels.

Bronco: Any and all death metal.  It's all so samey. I have a hard time trying to get in to any of it, so I don't bother...and then it bothers me when it ends up on end of year lists like it's some revelation of sound. It's literally all the same.

Code: podcasts

Bin: The human brain

Laser: my golf game!

Make it Stop 2020 

Nasty: WOP (editor’s note: WAP?)

Larse: Having to talk about Politics

Code: "better off alone" - purity ring

JD: The impossibly grating contempo pop that’s always on the radio at the bodega down the street.

Chap: Covid? Trump? Celeb deaths? SNL? Murder Hornets? Talkin' tv models via email? Not enough exposure to pop culture to really get annoyed by anything.

BC: The raging pandemic. Seriously. 

Biggest TBH Regret of 2020

Laser: giving this the old college try and having just a shit list!

Chap: Only seeing one show in my 2.5 years in NYC

JD: Skipping Nap Eyes opening for Destroyer in February because I’d so obviously be able to catch Nap Eyes headlining a better venue later on.

Codem: i wanted that teenage halloween album to sound better because i loved the album artwork

Bin: Not buying Lilly stock

Bronco: No regrets to be had, couldn't do anything in this godforsaken year.

Detective Murtaugh of 2020

BC: My back giving out upon bending over to change a light bulb

Chap: Trying to give Taylor Swift the ol' college try. 

Larson: This damn pandemic!

Bronco: I'm too old for being stuck in my house all day, every day, listening to the rest of my family non-stop. I need this shit to end. I can't listen to my kids anymore... not all day. It's crushing me.

Code: now that i own a car again, my favorite pastime has become zoning out to a good album on a long drive and seeing if i can reach an arbitrary mpg number for my trip.

JD: I remember browsing the racks at Media Play and getting mad at every magazine that ranked Love and Theft ahead of Is This It? in 2001 and 19 years later I came thisclose to doing it m’self.

Bin: Arizona,  Pennsylvania, and Nevada taking their sweet ass time counting ballots

Resolution for 2020 Status 

Larse: None How It Went: More than likely it was related to being better at this and this year was probably the worst of all time…

Code: i'm making it easier this year.  catch ovlov, washer, EMA and colleen green live this year.  bonus points: see dom's much anticipated return to the stage. How It Went: ain’t caught but a one!

Bronco: Build a vinyl collection. I know I dumped on Brendon for suggesting he press copies of Carpet Affair, but my kid's getting way into music and listening to it on his own (via Alexa in my bedroom which is super fucking annoying), so we're getting him his own record player and I think it's going to be a cool activity to go record store diving for whatever classics we can scrounge up. How It Went: Started the vinyl collection.  Went record store diving with John at the beginning of the year.  He picked up Ride the Lightening.  And I've got an original pressing of Back in Black on its way, didn't make it in time for Christmas.  I decided on purchasing that album, then a day or two later John said, "I think I know what I want my next record to be...Back in Black".  Sad it didn't make it in time, but psyched I was able to predict it.

Chap: Eh I'm cool How It Went: Ironically, reading back it contradicts what it says

Bren: See Phish in 2020 How It Went: Phish tickets purchased and ready

Bin: Send an email about music on the TBH! thread. How It Went:   Ha!  Set the bar low! Finally. Send an email about music? Check.... "can you  believe Trump plays Fortunate Son unironically at campaign events???"

JD: Get to more shows. Take more aimless strolls spinning tunes. How It Went: Turns out I did a lot of sitting around inside this year.

Resolution for 2021

Bronc: Get vaccinated.

BC: Get vaxxed up and return to normalcy 

JD: - Massively reduce my ‘news’ consumption to free up more time to spin tunes and smell the roses. - Get vaxed and get partying.

Code: see a live music concert

Nasty: I'm going to be ambitious. See a show with JD. Coward move to shy away from this in 2020.

Nicky: To start earlier. It takes me longer to get into new stuff. I didn't even like my top 4 until at least late December, but now I feel like they could compete with most years.

Laser: Be better at this! If anything, the pandemic should have allowed me to listen to more music whilst at home working, but it seemed to have the opposite effect…

Most Anticipated of 2021

BC: TWOD

Bronco: Mastodon, and live shows... not sure I even care which ones.

JD: Dry Cleaning, Park Hye Jin, Viagra Boys

Larse: No clue…

Chap: It's way too early!

Bin: Freedom of movement

Code: it seems like there should be a buncha new cool musical ideas to come out of this time indoors. something like this era's disco?  a big celebratory sound that makes us all smile and move.  in other words, the next dom album.

[jodellejournals]

confessions of a basurera at heart

okay, i admit it. i am a basurera at heart. yes, you can say i am a hoarder of all things sentimental. i collect food wrappers, letters, notes, concert tickets, handmade (and not) bracelets, bookmarks, trinkets, rosaries, lucky charms, and almost anything that there is a memory to me. i started doing it since i was around ten and about the same time i started a journal. i remember it was a spring notebook with blue stars on its front and back covers and i would paste or use scotch tape to stick those so-called basuras inside. if they were big enough, i would store them inside my first converse shoe box which i painted and decorated with stickers. during that december of 2006, our school had a huge christmas tree which beautifully stood in the quadrangle and we had to make paper stars and write something on it — a wish or special message since all forms of kind expressions are valid on christmastime. we had to be creative in crafting it and on the deadline of passing, we hung it on the tree. finally. time to put out to the universe my feelings and wishes. i wrote there a number that was special to me back then with a brief message and hung it on the side part. back story, i had a mistake in my first try of designing so i had to make another one. the obsessive-compulsive girl in me at ten had to redo it to meet my very own standards. so the first paper star which did not make its debut to the tree, i pasted in my journal and each time i looked at it, i remember its story. what a memorable basura, i thought. and so that became my earliest memory of being a basurera at heart.

that habit of collecting basuras continued in the years that came along. i kept pistachio shells (don’t judge me) that were shared between me and special people which i have already forgotten when, both hand-written and computer-typed retreat and birthday letters, chocolate wrappers (of flat tops; the only ones i can remember), rosary bracelets that were given to me, and most of all, piattos roadhouse barbecue chips wrapper, if i can remember correctly, because it was given to me by my crush. my bestfriend laughed and looked at me wide-eyed like i was some crazy girl when i kept it inside my clearbook. but who cares? my crush shared to me his precious merienda and i have to cherish it. so there — it was neatfully sealed with few crumbs because i cleaned it. safe and preserved. i internally laugh when i look back at it now but i honestly don’t regret it. i still want to do it again, in fact, for it makes a very amusing story. storing those things is like holding concrete memories. anyway, i kept that clearbook away from any food so the ants would not feast on my “hidden treasure”.

in the more recent years, i kept concert tickets, receipts, and cards in my wallet (the new safe haven of my basuras). upon holding it, you would immediately feel its heftiness and it’s because of the coins. no, i don’t collect coins in particular. i just have this mindset of “saving them for future use” until they were already converted into paper bills by my mother because according to her, carrying my wallet is like “carrying a bag of stones”. so that explains its weight. the papers aside from the bills are notes of important things i have to remember and receipts from restaurants where i had the heartiest of meals. the cards aside from atms are of prayer and loyalty cards. there used to be some calling cards there too but they make me feel like an adult from the early 2000’s so i let go of them eventually. not my kind of basura. sometimes, i also insert earrings in the coin purse area because i believe that statement earrings instantly give you a put-together look. i had dangling ones and pearls there from time to time. quick trivia: do you know that pearl earrings make a woman look even more beautiful than she already is? if yes, then good for you. that’s a magic trick to appear blooming. if not, then good for you now because you finally know. try it. you will feel and look more radiant than ever.

back to my basuras, i take my precious time in using products that i can’t keep forever. for example, i received this pocket-sized bath and body works eucalyptus tea hand gel as my christmas present from a workmate way back in december 2018. although i enjoyed its scent so much that i want to slather generous amounts of it on my hands every chance that i can get, i only take small amounts so it can stay longer with me. i don’t know if that sounds normal and if you guys do it too if faced with the same situation, but that’s just the way i roll. so occasionally, i would share it with friends and workmates because it just lives in my wallet together with my other treasures (and yes, it’s that palm-sized small that i can easily insert it in any pocket). its oh-so-good scent can make someone’s day brighter and it wouldn’t cost me much to bring some brightness on a person’s day. at least, that’s how it is for me. i would ask them then and there if it was indeed pleasant and expectedly, their euphoric eyes would give them away before they can admit it to me. and they even ask for more! so i’d share more but in a teeny-tiny amount since the rest are for me to enjoy. i can’t blame them. it really smells that good. i even want a perfume version of it. maybe i’d search it some time. ‘til now, almost two years after it was gifted to me, it’s still half full and safely residing in my kikay kit — its new home from my wallet.

you see, not all basuras stink. some have stories or maybe that’s just how i look at them. maybe i’d buy myself a pretty bin for my upcoming golden treasures. the only one i have, the converse shoebox which i have mentioned, is still sturdy up to this day and is buried inside an antique cabinet in our ancestral house where i grew up. it sits beside a vintage radio owned by my lola that i used to turn on and listen to djs and songs at night when inwas fifteen. why? because taylor swift told me to keep listening to the radio no matter what. so i did, right after listening to her fearless album in a cd player from another corner of the room. anyway, i didn’t bring that box here with me in manila and i don’t have plans to. i want it there in its original habitat because i like flying back to my hometown every december, a year older and wiser, and finding that old treasure box, as if i’m in a movie, but already knowing what basuras are inside and the stories they each tell.

[stateofgrace-acoustic]

Taylor and Me

with reputation out and me loving it so much, i keep getting really nostalgic and astonished by how long i’ve been a fan of taylor’s and al the things she has accompanied me through. so i felt like posting a little reflection thing, feel free to ignore totally :D

like a lot of people Love Story was the first song of hers I heard. i was on the bus home with one of my friends and she let me listen to it. i was so young back then, oh my god. (like 12?) i think i found it catchy, but didn’t think much about it afterwards until two people had a presentation on taylor in music class. (we were all supposed to introduce our favorite artists). they played some more songs from fearless, and i can’t recall exactly what my reaction was but i know i wanted the album. i asked the presentation people if i could borrow it, and i remember looking through the booklet thinking how beautiful it was. i think even back then when i was so young i sort of intuitively understood what an amazing songwriter taylor was and how much work and effort she puts into everything she does.

fearless was for me very much an escapism record. i listened to it to enter this realm of magic and fairytales and dancing in the rain that was so far away from my everyday life and issues. i could never really apply her love songs to my life in a direct way, but i still felt like they were relatable for me, in a more abstract way - the feeling that came with them, a sort of freedom and passion, was how i felt in my happiest moments, when i didn’t feel inhibited by fear and doubt as i often did. and her nostalgic and sad moments i could relate to my own nostalgia as well. 

my mom bought me the fanbook for christmas, and that’s when i started being interested in taylor as a person as well., and how she sort of became my role model. i read about her childhood and the way she tried to achieve her dream so hard until she succeeeded. about how she wasn’t afraid to put herself out there, to open herself up completely in her songs. i admired how she put kindness above all else, how in touch she was with her fans, but also how intelligent she was and how all of her decisions in her career were her own, how she didn’t let anyone else take control over what her life or ‘image’ to the public should be. all of those things and values i took to heart and tried to live them in my own life as much as possible. looking back now i couldn’t be happier with my choice of a role model. taylor helped guide me through some years that were difficult, as they are for pretty much every teenager i guess. ‘fearless is living in spite of the things that scare you to death’ was the motto i needed so much in my life, because i was very much defined and trapped by my fears in my teenage years - of social interaction, of taking risks, of failure.. taylor’s music was something i could always turn back to to give me strength.

i remember when speak now was announced, i was excited out of my mind. i wrote the tracklist down onto my computer and kept looking at it. i loved all the released singles so much and listened to them for days on end. i painted 13s onto my hands and danced around the living room. that is one of the main things that comes to my mind when i think of happy teenage memories: this image of me dancing to a taylor swift song. 

speak now was an album that completely blew me away. i loved every single track from the first listen. it is still so incredible to me how she wrote that album completely by herself at 19; how talented she is with lyrics and melodies that completely fit together. i had some fan account back then on twitter and didnt shut up about taylor ever. 

around that time, my parents and i were planning this huge vacation in Calfornia that would turn out to be one of my best - perhaps THE best experience of my teenage years, and we figured out that a the time we wanted to go, the Speak Now tour was in LA. my parents agreed to get tickets because they knew how much it meant to me, and also because they were lowkey fans themselves:D you can’t imagine how happy i was. it was my first concert ever, and the fact that i got to experience it in that huuuge location with so so many other people, it was like a dream. i was pretty far away from the stage at the side, but it was perfect for me - i think the huge crowd would have overwhelmed me. i was completely enthralled by the huge setup, the stage aesthetics, the costume changes, just how big and well planned it all was. i ended up thinking all concerts were like this, but i remember my dad saying that artists usually don’t talk that much during concerts. but taylor told the stories behind her songs, universal experiences that people could relate to, inspirational messages she wanted to get out to her fans. she really cared so much about connecting with all of us. when she was in the love story cage thing flying around the arena she even waved in the direction of our seating area even though we were so far up! 

my favorite song from speak now was always long live, and i had desperately wanted her to play the song for the entire night. i loved all the rest, obviously, but i was telling myself not to be disappointed if it would be cut out. but then, almost at the end, she did play it! you can imagine small!me standing there almost crying quietly singing along in a state of absolute happiness. the memory makes me tear up right now ahhh, it was such an amazing moment. 

then came up the red era, and i remember staying up til super late to watch the announcement of the new album. the thing is...to make it short, red simply came too early for me. i was not ready, and not being able to fully comprehend and appreciate, the emotional maturity and sheer genius of the red album. i did not really like wanegbt at first. when red came out i did listen to it a lot and like it, but like i said, i could not fully appreciate it. hearing the general fandom discussions i feel like a lot of people had a similar experience, because red was such a leap from speak now in terms of the tone of the writing. im also gonna be honest here, i was influenced by the negative portrayal of taylor in the media that kinda reached its first peak back then, and even though i didnt buy into what they said about her because i knew better, it still influenced me like subconsciously, you know? i was also a bit sceptical at her direction towards pop music. so overall, i became a bit distanced from taylor. i felt like i needed to ‘outgrow’ her. a lot of it also had to do with the fact that it was my Edgy Phase where i thought being normal was a bad thing and i wanted to be as Special and Grownup as possible. (i think everyone has that cringeworthy phase sometime in their life but i hate remembering it:D). 

but the thing is, i think i needed that kind of alienation to eventually realize that taylor had grown up just like i had, but that didn’t mean we had to grow apart. by the time 1989 was announced i had actually done a great leap in maturity and had outgrown this thing where you idealize celebrities, and was able to see taylor as a person, with flaws and insecurities like everyone else, and that this didnt diminish her incredible talent of what a kind and wonderful person she is. 

i was not the biggest fan of 1989 itself (multiple reasons; i still liked it though, just didnt love it), but paradoxically, I felt closer to taylor again during the new era than during red. i kinda missed the red era now and regretted that i wasnt more involved when it was there (i still do). but i loved taylor’s new attitude, i was glad she had found happiness in independence and relying on herself. i loved the cat videos and the polaroids and the voice memos that gave insight into the creation of the songs. also, blank space was my jam and still is. since that ive been a huge fan of this super smart move of hers of taking all the things people throw at her and embodying it ironically. iconic!!

so since i was a bit more involved again (though clearly not as much as in my early swiftie days) i wanted to see the 1989 tour, and did! throughout the show i realized how much had changed, but also everything - the important things - that stayed the same (her interactions with the fans, the speeches, etc.) and i had tons of fun. it was like a giant party with strangers - which is obviously a very different feel to speak now, but loved it :D

i was worried that taylor would go into hiatus after 1989 because she always talked about how it was her best work yet, and it broke so many records and won so many awards, that i thought she might be scared she couldnt top it, and taylor always wants to top herself. i ended up being right, though the hiatus was more about all the drama and accusations because people just cant stop being awful. they cant take the idea of a smart talented woman who also shows vulnerability. 

but ive been awaiting a new album all this time, because generally i thought taylor doing pop had so much potential, i just wasnt completely a fan of the general direction of 1989. however....i never would have imagined loving the album as much as i do. i wrote a separate review about it, but basically - i totally love how reputation is big and confident but also super up close, intimate and deep at the same time. it’s darker, but it’s a powerful and sensitive sort of dark at the same time, if that makes sense. i can totally vibe to the general mood of the album because i think i can relate it to how i feel about my life right now a lot. also loving how taylor has truly found a place of happiness and trust after having been let down by ...the world?...so harshly. i love the aesthetic of the magazines and the poems, just everything about this era.

so basically, this album has completely pulled me back again to stanning taylor, and i think it’s kinda beautiful how i’ve come ‘full circle’ and am now back to hyping her music again as i used to :) i connect some of my most life defining and most precious memories with taylor, and i am glad i somehow found back to her and her music as i start off my twenties. 

im looking forward to getting involved in the fandom again so much, and i can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for us all :’)

[ts1989fanatic]

The Business Lessons We Can Learn From Taylor Swift

ts1989fanatic if your a fan of Taylor Swift Business Super Woman read this Forbes article.

Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs… and Taylor Swift? Before you dismiss the idea of adding the pop princess to the pantheon of modern-day disruptive business gurus, consider some of the stats.

In just over two weeks since its release, her new hit single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” has broken virtually every record on its way to becoming the number one song in the country. It was the most-streamed song ever on Spotify, with 10,129,087 plays in its first day alone, and it was also the most-streamed song during its debut week, logging a total of 84.4 million plays. This last feat broke the previous record held by Adele by a little over 20 million plays. The video for the song also broke records with 43.2 million plays on YouTube during its first day of release.

Swift executed all of this through a multi-platform strategy that incorporated deft use of social media, power-play dealswith major streaming services, timely deployment of “old media,” a new strategy for out-smarting ticket resellers, a partnership with UPS for shipping CDs, a deal with AT&T and DirectTV to create a Taylor Swift Now on-demand video service, song teasers during college football games, and even proactive trademark applications to protect the keywords and catch-phrases she thinks will rise out of the new album.

Did I mention she can sing?

It certainly helps that Swift is a gifted musician who can string together hit songs seemingly at will, and carry them off with the swagger and sweetness to make young girls pledge their allegiance to the nation of #swifties (a name Swift has trademarked) and young male actors and models line up to be her next ex- fling. But there’s a lot more to Swift’s success than the music.

And that’s why she belongs on the list of modern-day disruptive business geniuses. Swift could have a great career just singing hit songs, playing a few tours, and living on royalties for the rest of her life. Instead, she’s constantly re-inventing herself, her music, and her distribution channels to set the pace for the industry to follow.

It’s working, too.

After more than a decade of struggling to stanch the loss of revenue to online piracy, declining CD sales, and clumsy online streaming business models, the music industry reached a major milestone last year when digital streaming became the biggest source of recorded music revenue, accounting for just over half of total industry revenue. Swift’s historic stand-offs with Apple and Spotify have played a key role in making the streaming business model work.

The pop star recognizes – perhaps better than most business people – the one universal truth of today’s warp speed business cycle: It’s not enough to be the best at your core discipline. To truly break-out, you also need to be the best marketer, supply chain manager, intellectual property attorney, media planner, deal-maker, and tireless self-advocate.

Take Swift’s approach to social media as an example. Before the launch of her new album, Swift was already the 4th-most followed person on Twitter with 85 million followers and another 100 million followers on Instagram, a position she’s meticulously cultivated through a combination of frequent posting, constant – and sometimes direct – fan engagement, and an endless stream of selfies. So, what does someone in that position do before releasing a new album? She staged a complete social media blackout, wiping out all of her social media accounts to build intrigue and to set the stage for the release of her new, tougher persona and sound. She even declared her old self dead with the closing lyric of “Look What You Made Me Do,” in which she declares: “I’m sorry, but the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now/Why? Oh, ’cause she’s dead.” How many brands do you know of would have the courage to do that? Imagine building up one of the largest social media followings in the world then scrapping it as part of a publicity stunt. The move took some confidence.

The strategy rivaled the best product launch stagecraft from the likes of Apple and Tesla, and it produced instant, record-breaking demand. Contrast Swift’s launch with this week’s Apple iPhone X launch – a similarly long-awaited unveiling – and the differences are even more stark. Whereas Swift instantly sparked demand and met it with a bevy of distribution channels, Apple’s stock actually dropped when investors learned the company wouldn’t even start taking orders for its new phone until October.

But that’s just the beginning. She also put on a master class in brand protection by famously fighting back when Apple wanted to give her music away for free as part of a trial offer for Apple Music, trademarking a number of phrases from her new album, such as, “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now,” and “Look what you made me do,” as a set-up for future merchandise sales, and even going to war with ticket resellers. Her “verified fan” program utilizes a so-called boost activities, which reward fans for watching videos on YouTube or purchasing her album and merchandise. Fans with higher boost scores will have a better shot at getting tickets, a strategy designed to drive more fan engagement and address the problem of ticket scalpers and re-sellers buying up all of the capacity for live events and driving up ticket prices.

Swift even went so far as to get her hands dirty with supply chain logistics, through a deal with UPS whereby the carrier is the exclusive distributor of Swift’s CDs to consumers and retailers and – for the first time ever – its iconic brown trucks will be emblazoned with Swift’s face on the side. To tie it all together with Swift’s social media empire, fans are being encouraged to snap photos of the truck and post them with the tag #TaylorSwiftDelivery for a chance to win concert tickets.

Brand synergy, anyone? ts1989fanatic below is one of the best parts of the article.

Though it may pain some of you to admit it, a great swath of the business world has just been taken to school by a 27-year-old pop star who continues to put on a clinic in multi-platform branding, product launch, and distribution strategy. The fact is, in another life, Swift probably could have run GE or P&G. But just because her lessons manifest themselves in catchy refrains and selfies instead of balance sheets and M&A doesn’t make them any less insightful for more traditional business leaders.

She’s checked literally every box in the business growth playbook, and created some new ones of her own. She’s had the courage to reinvent, disrupt her own business, and walk away from the past, all while building steady customer engagement throughout the journey, cultivating a fan base, and partnering for success. She’s also made a ton of money in the process. Last year, Forbes named her the world’s top-earning celebrity having earned $170 million in 2016. We all have a lot to learn.

ts1989fanatic Honestly one of the best articles on Taylor and her business brilliance I have ever read.

[swiftlymoniquesblog]

This year, I will be celebrating 10 YEARS a Swiftie! Now, this might not be a big deal to some people and it might not even be that big a deal to her but I want to share with everyone what she means to me. I remember when I first heard one of hers songs; Love Story. I instantly thought she was a great singer and that song was so romantic. My friend at the time wanted me to sing it with her but I said no because I didn’t know the words yet. After that, I bought Fearless and would play her music all the time and sing along with her constantly. I’d be in my room and turn up my boombox as loud as I could, and sing at the top of my lungs. I was 12 years old at the time and I didn’t care how loud the music was. Every song on that album spoke to me, even though I was too young to fall in love. I’ve always been fascinated by it and I still believed in fairy tales just liked Taylor did. Throughout my teenage years, I was kind of awkward. I wasn’t comfortable with who I was, my teeth weren’t straight and I had to wear glasses. I felt so ugly but when I did, I turned on Fearless and Taylor made me feel special whether I believed it or not. One song that still means a lot to me is The Best Day. I have that same relationship with my Mom that Taylor has with Andrea and when I was 13, I lost a lot of people who I thought were friends so I can relate to that part of the song in particular. When Speak Now came out, I enjoyed that album even more than Fearless. The vast variety of topics she discusses on that album are more mature; as she matured, so did her music. I always wanted to go to one of her concerts since buying the Fearless Tour DVD. She seemed to put on one hell of a show! I finally got my chance to see her live when the RED Tour was announced.Out of the dates from 2012- 2013, one stood out to me; July 19th, 2013. I wanted to go more than anything at that time but finding someone to go with was difficult, until someone came in mind. My friend and youth group leader, Chrissy, is a MASSIVE Taylor fan (not as big as I am of course) and she was set to get married that June. So I had the perfect idea; I’d take her to the show as her wedding present. I’ll never forget when I told her I bought Taylor Swift tickets;she thought I was crazy but she said yes and the day of the show was one of the best days. It was extremely hot in Philadelphia that year and that day, temperatures went up to 120 degrees. Of course the show was outside, at the Lincoln Financial Field, so we had to be in the heat for quite a while. After Austin Mahone and Ed Sheeran performed, the stadium went black and everyone knew what was about to happen. The opening music to State of Grace played and when Taylor came out, I remember the sound of 50,000 people screaming as loud as they could. To this day, I won’t ever forget the energy in that stadium and the feeling of FINALLY seeing one of my biggest roles models in person. One thing that stood out to me when she talked to the crowd was she told the story of how she used to come to that very city to see concerts when she lived in Pennsylvania until she moved to Nashville and it was wild for her to be performing for 50,000 people in two sold out shows. Another great thing I remember her saying was she had noticed a lot of familiar faces but also new faces. She had asked who was seeing her for the first time and Chrissy and I rose our hands as high as we could for we were proud to say it was our first show. Since then, I have wanted to see Taylor again because it’s been a long time and she has since released two more albums. With Reputation, as you can probably already guess, I love the album and I feel like Taylor really opened up to us. Now 10 years into this fandom, I have met some amazing people and I love sharing my stories with them. If I ever got to meet Taylor, I would tell her my story, after I stop hyperventilating. I would thank her for inspiring me over the years, for giving me courage and confidence. For the lessons she’s taught me about love, even though I have yet to fall in love. I can learn from her stories and hell, I might start writing my own songs about my ex lovers! She helped me get through the roughest times in my life and I’ll never be able to thank her for that. She means the world to me and I’ll never stop supporting her no matter what she chooses to do in life. I can’t wait until my 22nd birthday this year so I can dance and party like she does in the video, as a way to celebrate this milestone. I love you @taylorswift and I thank you for always being there for me through every high and low. 

[californiakelsey-blog]

Where to sit for Taylor Swift

Today’s blog is another Taylor Swift blog because I want Lover Fest to be now but it’s not for another 9 months. 

I’ve been looking a lot at the Ticketmaster seat map for Lover Fest West because I obsess over seat maps for a while after buying tickets to any event. Part of it is curiosity and imaging what my view will be like from the seats I bought. But I also like to check up on ticket prices to make sure I still got a good deal. Seeing as the seats next to mine are currently selling at over $1,000 for Ticketmaster verified resale tickets, I feel like I got a pretty good deal spending 300 and something dollars on them, including all fees. My dad is essentially an extreme couponer, and my mom reuses “expensive” paper towels until they become more giant hole than towel, so wanting a good deal is probably genetic.

As I wrote in my last post about buying Taylor Swift tickets, I am a verified human fan of Taylor Swift, so I get access to presale tickets that only other verified human fans get access to. These presale tickets are significantly less expensive than the general sale tickets, and I’ve had a large number of seats to choose from during presales.

I’ve been to three Taylor Swift concerts, and have sat in very different places for each show. For Lover Fest, the stage will be heart shaped and positioned right in the center of the field, so every seat should get a pretty good view of the stage. Given this setup, I decided to get seats in the front of the stadium’s lower bowl (100′s section) along the sidelines. These happened to be club section seats, so I’m hoping for a cushioned seat, at the very least. 

For my first Taylor Swift concert, 1989, I sat way up in the nosebleed seats. My sister and I decided to go to the concert only a few weeks beforehand, and she bought seats off a ticket resale site. 

The view from our seats in section 402 at Levi’s Stadium.

This was my first Taylor Swift concert, and the first time I went to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The stadium was only about a year old at the time. 

As you can see from this lovely, low quality photo, we are verrrry high up and kind of in the corner. I think our seats were kind in the middle rows of the section. Taylor and everyone else on stage looked super tiny, but we were able to see the screens just fine to watch the show.

What was kind of nice about sitting in this area was that a lot of people were sitting, and even when people were standing, we could still see the screens well. I don’t remember ever having to stand just to see, and it was nice to be able to sit because we went to the Friday night show, and I was tired after a long day at work at my old, boring job.

These seats also provided a unique view of the show and the entire venue. The wristband light show was really good from this perspective. 

For my next Taylor show though, the Reputation Tour, I wanted to sit closer. Much closer - I wanted to be on the floor. 

I bought VIP floor seats for Levi’s Stadium during the Verified Fan presale. These seats were located about 30 rows from the stage, so about the middle of the floor. What was nice about the seats was that they were in the front row of a section, so we had a walkway and a lot of space in front of us to dance and move around. We also didn’t have to worry about someone really tall being directly in front of us and obscuring our view completely, as is often a concern on the floor. 

View from the floor. I think zoomed in just a little on this photo.

We could kind of see the stage from these seats, but not super well. We ended up watching the screens most of the time. Being on the floor was a fun, high energy experience though, and definitely an something I’d recommend doing at least once. 

My second Reputation Tour show was at the Superdome in New Orleans. My sister bought the tickets for this show, and our seats were in the lower part of the stadium.

Photos with some zoom. We could see one of the B stages pretty well from these seats.

With the exception of when Taylor was on one of the B stages (as shown above), we mostly watched the screens from these seats. If the people in the row in front of us were standing, we had to stand or we couldn’t see anything, not even the screens. I think this might have partially been due to how the stadium and its seats were configured. 

After three shows, I can’t say I have one favorite place to sit. They were honestly all good seats, and I had fun at every show. Taylor Swift knows what she’s doing, and makes sure everyone has a good time.

Levi’s Stadium - 400 section

Cost: $

View: 2/5

Atmosphere/Experience: 3/5

Levi’s Stadium - Floor, section N

Cost: $$$$

View: 3/5

Atmosphere/Experience: 5/5

Superdome - 100 section

Cost: $$

View: 4/5

Atmosphere/Experience: 4/5

[melissarapp77-blog-blog]

A Love Letter to Taylor <3

Dear Taylor, 

I've been waiting for months for your new album to release and as we're 1 hour away from the debut, I felt compelled to write you a love letter in honor of your new album Lover. You see, I am 36 years old and your music has basically become the soundtrack of my life. I'm sure you've heard this many times over, but I thought I would give you the history of my life, according to the connection I’ve had to your words and lyrics.

I met you when I was 23, struggling to figure out who I was, longing for purpose in my life. I immediately gravitated toward your lyrics, toward the sounds in your songs. While I loved Tim McGraw, Picture to Burn, Should've Said No, and sang those at the top of my lungs in my car with my sister, I was drawn to the sweeter, softer songs, like Stay Beautiful, Mary's Song and Tied Together With a Smile, and those were the songs I would sing to myself and play quietly in my room when I was dreaming up ideas for my future. It's funny how music brings you back to a state of mind, a place you might have forgot about..."You're beautiful, every little piece love, don't you know; you're really gonna be someone, ask anyone." Your songs lifted me up at a time in my life when I felt most vulnerable.

Next comes Love Story. I remember the moment I heard this song, and it was on a CMT special on television with an artist named "Taylor Swift", who was debuting her new song "Love Story". I already knew who you were and loved every bit of your first record, but Love Story was the song that solidified my love for miss Taylor Swift. I, again, would play this song over and over in my car, in my room, play it for my friends, for my family; I'm sure they thought I was weird and crazy, but I didn't care, because I hung onto every lyric in that song, and come to know, that was the year I would reconnect with my now husband, Ryan. We dated on and off in college, but that was the year that we made a decision to try again at our relationship, and love story gave me the inspiration to give this another shot. Also, I'd like to note, that this was the year you opened for Rascal Flatts, and my sister and I purposely bought tickets to see you at that show, sat in the nosebleeds, and loved every second of the few songs you performed.

Also when Fearless was released, I watched every late night talk show and interview that you were in, and loved seeing you perform. I still to this day make sure to watch every performance or interview, Snapchat, Instagram story, Facebook post, etc...usually because your words inspire me and I always find some sort of revelation in what you say. One of my favorite performances you did was the Grammys where you performed with Stevie Knicks. Miss Swift, I feel like we have the same taste in music. :)

Speaking of concerts, I have attended every tour you've put on, including one tour twice when you were in Michigan (both Detroit and Grand Rapids). You see, I have a crew that I go to your show with and I have the best memories from these girls nights. You always play the BEST music before the show to get us pumped up; there are always dance parties and light up signs (that are so much fun to make!). And of course we sing so loud that we have NO voices the next day! Please see attached pictures and you'll see my love for attending your shows. I wish I had pictures from every concert but we were too busy having fun! I can't wait for the next tour because my friends and I have already decided that we are going to take a girls trip somewhere to see you (place tbd!).

Speaking of friends, I'm not the only one who loves you. My closest friends also adore you. I've turned all of my sisters (I have three younger ones) into Swifties, and my closest friends and I love to analyze every new song, every new lyric, every style change. I know I have a true connection with someone if they love you as much I do.

Back to the music...after Fearless, I was on a search for more of your music. And that is exactly what I found... through a random search on the internet, I stumbled upon an unplugged version of Sparks Fly, and little did I know this song would be on your next album. Gosh, the entire Speak Now album was so good. Sparks Fly was just the start. I loved Mine. I loved Back to December. I loved Dear John. Basically I loved every song. I clung to the lyrics. "I'm shining like fireworks over your sad little town." "I was enchanted to meet you." Long live all the magic we made." So much brilliance in every single word. Your ability to create magic with your words is the work of a genius.

Let me also mention that every time you release a new album, I say, “this is my favorite album.” But honestly, I don't have a favorite, and thats because I love every bit of art you've created. I have one huge playlist that is all Taylor Swift, and I know every lyric to every song.

Next up, Red. Gosh, I just have pure love for this album. You were so creative with your words. Ryan and I had just been married, and this album was on repeat as a newlywed. It also was my escape and my comfort, as we took in our one-week-old nephew for 9 months of that year because he needed a safe home. This was a period of heartache and pain, and I remember driving in my car or going for a walk, and listening to your music to escape my thoughts. Your songs were such a point of comfort and light in a time of extreme stress and unease. They would take me to a place that was full of love, and a reminder of happiness. "Darling it was good...where we stood was holy ground." "Your eyes look like coming home."

Red was also PURE FUN. I loved seeing you interact with your friends in the 22 music video. And singing with pure joy We are Never getting back together and I Knew You Were Trouble. My sister and I had many dance parties together in my living room to this album.

I feel like I'm getting a little long winded in this letter..but there are just a few things I need to mention. 1989 was a perfect Pop album. I listened to every song on repeat, per usual. But I purchased the Target edition which had some special songs that were my favorite. I loved New Romantics.  It reminded me so much of the friendships I have with my closest friends. We support each other. We love each other. "We were too busy dancing." Your acoustic version for the Grammy's of Wildest Dreams still gets played in my car when I need a good acoustic pick up me.

I don't want to skip Reputation but I feel like I'll follow suit here and say that "There will be no further explanation, just reputation. ;)

As you can see, I have a long history with your music, and thought I would tell you how much your songs have carried me through life. From that 23 year old to now 36 year old, and all those years in between, the music has defined me.

Lastly and most important, State of Grace has been life changing for me. I didn't realize what this song would mean to me until a few years ago, when I had my first daughter, named Grace. (she's named after the song Amazing Grace as a tie to someone very close to me in my life.) I loved the song before she was born, but now it has a totally different meaning now that she's here. She's a three year old ball of energy, who challenges me to my core, but the love I feel for her is something I can't quite explain. "And I never saw you coming. And I'll never be the same. This is a state of grace." This song has been the theme to raising my daughter and also has the ability to bring me to tears when I hear it, although I'm positive for you it had a much different meaning. And now your song Lover has given me a sense of wholeness, and a sense of comfort I have never felt before. You put into words a way to describe the emotion I feel for my family- my husband Ryan, sweet Grace and also now a son, Thomas.

That's what I love about your music. You write for you and your fans are able to interpret it in a way that applies to their own lives. I suppose that's the point of this whole love letter. I felt as if I needed you to know how much you've meant to me through the years and how much you've inspired me and helped me grow.

Thank you for your art. Thank you for your ability to connect with us and care for your fans in a way that no other artist has been able to. And a heartfelt Congratulations on the new album. I can't wait to see what you do next.

xoxo

Melissa 

PS. I will absolutely listen to your entire album on Spotify at midnight, but I will be the first person to buy the album at Target when it opens at 8 am. There is nothing like buying an album in person on release day. :)