Why I Was Fired By Taylor Swift

A couple of weeks ago Taylor Swift pulled her music off of Spotify and other streaming services. That is the day I was fired as a casual listener of her music. Millions of us were.

There were some who ranted that she is greedy. Some say that she is stupid because she doesn’t understand how people listen to and purchase music today.

I contend that the people saying these things need to look in the mirror and consider that they may be guilty of the very thing they are accusing Taylor Swift of being.

Going forward, these decisions may have been made by Swift herself or someone in her organization. It does not matter. For the purpose of this article I will refer to Swift and her camp as Taylor Swift or just Swift.

Point number one is that she wants to make as much money as possible off of her trade. And why not? This is a defensive action against those who want things for cheap and/or free.

And wrap your brain around this one. If someone wants something for nothing (or below it’s value — however that may be determined), is he/she not being greedy in wanting to keep as much of his/her money as possible?

Point number two. If someone is not willing to buy an artist’s music, will they be willing to spend money on anything else related to an artist or band? In this case, Ms. Swift?

We all know the answer is no. Why? Because that person is not a true fan. A fan that will go to a concert, buy a t-shirt, or join a fan club.

I began to think of this situation in terms of one of my favorite acts, Daryl Hall and John Oates. A lot of their music is on Spotify. I listen to it there. But there is one song I like (“Promise Ain’t Enough”) that is not on Spotify. And it cannot be purchased as a single on iTunes or Google Play or Amazon (though I recently discovered is available as part of Amazon Prime Music).

In short, I like this song. I wanted to listen to it. So….I bought the greatest hits album it’s on. Further more, I have seen them in concert twice. I have bought a t-shirt at one. I watch “Live From Daryl’s House” online and on Palladia cable channel.

Just for the record, I have not joined their fan club (if they even have one).

In short, I am willing to invest in their music, concerts, and merchandise.

Not so much with Taylor Swift. Some of her songs I will listen to on the radio. Others get the heave-ho.

In monetary terms, people like myself do not matter to the business that is Taylor Swift. Nor do I think this was mean or am I insinuating that we do not matter in other ways. But in the world of Taylor Swift, we don’t.

And it’s ok. It’s called business.

So there it is, my theory on why I was fired by Taylor Swift. I just have to shake it off, shake it off and accept that “She’s Gone”.