"Sound like the job of your wildest dreams? You could be the 1," tweeted the national daily USA Today, flagship of the Gannett group, also owner of over 200 local newspapers.

While nothing is stopping fans of the two artists from applying, the positions are intended for professionals who will work for USA Today and The Tennessean, a regional title based in Nashville (Tennessee), where Taylor Swift began her country music career. "Swift's fanbase has grown to unprecedented heights, and so has the significance of her music and growing legacy," said Gannett in the ad. The Beyoncé ad states that she "has been a force in everything from how the country views race to how women think about their partners."

In the first case, the reporter will need to be a "creative and energetic journalist able to capture the excitement around Swift's ongoing tour and upcoming album release, while also providing thoughtful analysis of her music and career." The second job description calls for an "energetic and enterprising writer, capable of a text and video-forward approach, who can capture Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s effect not only on the many industries in which she operates, but also on society."

While it is not uncommon for some journalists to be assigned to cover celebrities, particularly politicians, it is less usual for artists. "Our role at the USA TODAY Network is to cover the newsmakers who impact lives across the nation (...) and provide our audience the content they crave," said Gannett. More than anything, this demonstrates the economic and cultural power these two women represent.

With her first albums re-recorded to recover the rights, Swift continues to capture the top of the charts. Her world tour, The Eras Tour, is a phenomenal success. As The New York Times wrote, by the end of the tour, which includes 146 dates through to 2024, ticket sales "could reach $1.4 billion [€1.3 billion] or more," outperforming Elton John's farewell tour, the current record holder. To satisfy the insatiable appetite of the "Swifties" – the singer's fans – a film devoted to the star's concerts is scheduled to hit cinema screens in mid-October. The theater chain AMC Theatres, which is about to release the film, has recorded its biggest-ever ticket pre-sales: $26 million (€24.3 million) in tickets were sold in a single day.

Beyoncé is not to be outdone. With her Renaissance World Tour, which ends in North America in October, she is also playing sold-out stadiums, to which the lucky ones who have managed to get a seat flock in tight silver outfits, cowboy hats and boots of the same color, just like their idol on stage.

You have 35.12% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.