In a single day, Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department was listened to over 300 million times on Spotify. This meant that Swift broke her own record, set in 2022 with Midnights, her previous album. The accolades are pouring in, and so is the money. Her worldwide Eras Tour (playing in Paris from May 9 to 12 and then Lyon on June 2 and 3) has already become the most profitable tour of all time.

In just a few years, Swift has become a pop icon with global influence. Her career choices have shaken up the entire music industry, putting her fight for greater respect of artists' rights in the spotlight.

In this video, Le Monde explains the secrets behind the empire Swift has built, including interviews with fans and with experts Ralph Jaccodine, professor of music business at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and Georgia Carroll, a sociologist specialized in fan culture.

Sources include:

Taylor Swift Is in Her Billionaire Era, Elisabeth Ponsot, Bloomberg (October 27, 2023)

Miss Americana (2020)

Taylor Swift: The Whole Story, Chas Newkey-Burden (2013)

Taylor Swift Is the Music Industry, Devin Leonard, Bloomberg (November 14, 2014)

For Taylor Swift, the Future of Music Is a Love Story, Taylor Swift, Wall Street Journal (July 7, 2014)