Taylor Swift for President - Taylor does what politicians cannot do - stand up to corporate America!

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I have been writing about Taylor Swift since we first became "friends" on MySpace back around 2006.  At the time her first album and single had just been released and she was a sixteen year old veteran performer being introduced to America.

Since then, well you know the story, Taylor soon became a hit, then a superstar, and now, at the ripe old age of 25, is a legend in the music industry.  Since that first album in 2006 released through a small, start up Independent record label Swift has swiftly become the reigning Queen of country music, then Queen of the pop-rock genre.

This year the granddaddy of financial magazines, Forbes, says Taylor is worth over $200 million and named her as one of the Most Powerful Women in the World, at number 65.  In fact, Taylor has sold over 40 million albums and over 100 million single downloads her first decade in the public eye.

In the process Taylor parlayed the Internet potential to become the first true sensation in the music industry to use the Internet to bypass the record labels through her sophisticated use of music videos, on line concerts, social media, Internet promotions, and about every other innovation discovered in this age of the Internet.

Did I mention she earned a 4.0 grade point in high school?

When I wrote how Taylor was far too big for country music, I received a flood of Country Swifties' emails blasting me for such an idea.  Then she released her newest album, 1989, in the fall of 2014, and crushed all singers in country, pop, rock, you name it.  By the way, it was her first pop album - in her own words not mine, and sold over 8.6 million copies.

So why Taylor Swift for President when so many are running already?

Before history buffs mention that she is too young to be president since our Constitution says you must be 35 to be president, I know and I am not talking about 2016.  Taylor has already demonstrated more guts than most politicians taking on the recording industry but she will be 35 when she takes office, if she runs for President in 2024.

Why start drafting her to run almost ten years ahead of time?  Because it gives Taylor the same amount of time to do things to help prepare for her future in politics as president. However, in the past year she has single-handed stood up to the largest music streaming company in the business, Spotify.  Then yesterday, she stood up to one of the most powerful corporations in the world, Apple.

Most consumers pay little attention but most people in the music industry make their money in the form of royalties paid for record sales and plays in the entertainment media.  Streaming services for audio, like Spotify, have to pay royalties to writers, artists, and producers, if they sell ad free subscriptions for around $10.00 a month.

Unfortunately, most streaming services do not have many subscribers.  What they do have are free members who get free music with a thick dose of commercials.  There are no royalties paid for the free service, even though ad sales generate money.  To illustrate the problem, Spotify has about 80 million users but only 20 million subscribers.  Thus, artists get a royalty on just 25% of their music on Spotify.  Taylor said it was not fair and pulled her music.

This weekend Apple announced the new Apple music streaming company and said no royalties would be paid to the artists for free trial members.  Taylor responded the same day that it was not fair to all those young artists and retired artists who would earn no royalty and said she would not allow her new record-setting album, 1989, to be part of Apple.

Here is what Taylor wrote to Apple.

To Apple, Love Taylor

I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music. I feel this deserves an explanation because Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans. I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries.

I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.

This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs.

These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.

I realize that Apple is working towards a goal of paid streaming. I think that is beautiful progress. We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period… even if it is free for the fans trying it out.

Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right.

But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.


Taylor

Taylor used the Internet site Tumblr  to send her message to Apple, signed Love Taylor, and in minutes the social media airways lit up when the tens of thousands of Taylor Swifties started tweeting, re-tweeting and burning up the Internet.

  

Mind you, Apple's stock this week passed $700 billion in value and sophisticated investors say it should reach $1.26 trillion in value soon.  Amazingly, in less than 24 hours and after executive sessions and trying to reach Taylor, Apple became the first music streaming company to reverse itself and say, ooops, now they will test paying royalties for all free trial subscriptions.

Everyone's favorite sweetheart became a mighty lioness and brought the behemoth mighty Apple to their knees just to protect those artists, dedicated musicians, and technicians with no voice in our capitalist system.  That skinny country kid from Pennsylvania and Nashville grew up in a hurry, is now based in NYC, the really Big Apple, and is guiding fellow writers, musicians, and producers through some trying times in the music industry.   

When Taylor said enough is enough - Apple blinked, then cracked.

We need good hearted, intelligent, and strong women in politics who are young, successful outside of politics, and ready to rumble.  I urge the Swifties to start a draft Taylor Swift movement now so Taylor and the nation can be ready for her in just ten years.

Remember all those bankers who nearly bankrupted America and lost trillions of dollars in money from the little people?  Well no one in the Obama Administration, in fact no one in the Democratic or Republican party except for Senator Elizabeth Warren, has stood up to them, let alone got them to back down.

Perhaps Taylor can finally start throwing the crooks in jail since she is not a politician and is entering the race with no strings attached.

Taylor Tells the Truth!

Swift Justice to Crooks!

Swift says Stand up for Someone!

Taylor Swift will Sweep the Politicians Out!

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Taylor Swift 2010 Prediction Comes True - Taylor moves to Pop

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January 6, 2010 I wrote the following article.  Country fans of Swift said it would never happen.  Today it did.  See second article on CMA and Taylor Swift.

Coltons Point Times
January 6, 2010

Taylor Swift carries Country Music industry but may soon be lost to Pop

Carrie Underwood - Yet Another Country Act Like Taylor Swift Lost to Pop?



Country music continued a decline in sales dropping 9% in 2009 although it was not because of Taylor Swift whose Fearless album was the top seller of the year in all categories of music and her millions of sales and sold out tours kept the country music industry from falling flat on it's face.



Like it or not Taylor Swift is a genuine pop star and her sweep of all kinds of awards this year have established that beyond a doubt. But she belongs in the pop world. Her lyrics, music, videos and appearances long ago left country music behind. More important, she made it with the sacrifice and help of her mother, not the production company from American Idol like Carrie Underwood, and all the while Taylor has carefully maintained creative control of her life while Carrie never had creative control.

In fact I was surprised Taylor Swift bought a condo in Nashville and not Los Angeles but with her wealth a second mansion in LA should be just around the corner. She should enjoy and take advantage of her position as the top selling female artist of all genres of music this year. To young Taylor Swift country was a stepping stone, not the end game.



Like a young Olivia Newton John, Taylor's transition from new country artist of the year to pop was lightning quick. As she solidifies her position in the pop world through her media savvy and television show appearances she will take along with her the millions of adoring fans who were new to country music this past year because they were not country fans in the first place but young teens who related to Swift and her saga of a teen's life.



She has a lot in common with her friend Miley Cyrus who is a wannabe fellow Disney protégé like Britney Spears, at least a Britney without all the hang ups, and also a young teen sensation. Country music is not their natural home, lifestyle or future.

Forget their roots, Hollywood has first claim on these rising stars with the combination of a far greater pop fan base, motion picture and television contracts, TV appearances and more money than Midas. It is a pretty irresistible lure for a teen queen and perhaps more so for someone later in their career. In truth they should capture the moment for such a moment may never come again in a lifetime. Celebrity worship in America is a very fickle and overwhelming occupational hazard.



Carrie Underwood is not Swift however. Urban backgrounds and leather outfits do not make one a pop star. Hers will be a more difficult path than that of her younger peers like Taylor and Miley. Underwood could have been a country queen but in the end I fear her country music career will suffer as she continues to push her way into the pop field. None of the ladies mentioned are pure country or even country pop and their fan base has not helped other artists sell records unless they happen to be touring with Taylor Swift.

Yet the country record labels will be betting their futures on finding the next Taylor Swift and more traditional country music will be pushed farther into the background with less opportunities for record deals and less opportunities for older, established artists. We will watch the next five years as country labels chase the dream of the next Taylor Swift and lightning doesn't strike that often. While pop songs and teen stars are pushed on the public the real country writers and artists will once again be shoved into the background with the door slammed shut rather than opened.

The handful of kings and queens of country will still rein supreme but the aspiring country songwriters and artists will have to adopt the pop genre to get a deal and make it on the concert tour. Once again country music seems to be self-destructing in the interest of maintaining formula songs and copycat acts.

Once upon a time country music encompassed a great range of styles and looks. Once upon a time country was the innovative genre in music and country fans embraced a wide diversity of styles and looks but once upon a time seems to be a thing of the past. In the world of today many great older acts will be pushed into early retirement by an industry whose obsession with the dollar will always trump their interest in preserving all that is good about country music.

As for Carrie Underwood, who could be a country artist, her handlers have demonstrated over and over again that the American Idol approach is the only one. How much do they understand the record buying public? Well they have captured some impressive pop sales from Idol but look at the enormous exposure it took to pull it off. Any aspiring artist given a television audience of 20-30 million week after week could sell records.



But do they always know what works? Simon Cowell is the genius behind American Idol and locks up the singers participating with his music company. He then works out deals with record labels to sell the records. Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson are country singers who won American Idol and both are being pushed into the pop fields. Surprised? Don't be. Look at the demographic profile of American Idol, which the New York Times’s Bill Carter described as “a phenomenon built on new artists singing mainly middle-of-the-road pop songs of the ’60s and ’70s.”



Susan Boyle, the frumpy Scottish loser of the British version of American Idol, also controlled by Cowell, came within an eyelash of beating Taylor Swift out for the most album sales of 2009 with her new and first CD, I Dreamed a Dream, shooting past 3 million in sales the first month. Music companies thought it would not succeed because she mixed a variety of pop styles on it and it was primarily marketed as a real CD, the kind you had to buy in stores.

The same American Idol team produced Carrie Underwood's televised holiday special that I watched just before Christmas and it confirmed my belief that yet another young country music artist has been lost to the lurid lure of the pop world joining fellow rising star Taylor Swift.



The special was billed as a holiday feature but there was very little country or holiday in it as far as I could see. The producers chose to have Ms. Underwood start the show by forsaking all that is good about country and appearing in a skin tight leather outfit far more suited to a Las Vegas lounge than a family audience. Even her song, Casanova Cowboy, was far from a holiday offering.

It was the same when Underwood and two friends, all white, pimped the Black groups of the 1960's and sang songs like Leader of The Pack, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, and Be My Baby with Kristen Chenoweth and Christina Applegate.



Her pop arrangements along with several others was most certainly intended for the American Idol audience, not CMT, and though she did have Brad Paisley and Dolly Pardon appear, they were almost after thoughts to the pop feel and urban bawdiness projected throughout. They almost seemed uncomfortable being part of the show.

The sexy costumes, staging and songs were far from the country music I grew up listening to and watching, and were augmented by rather stupid skits about Jesus and gays which contributed nothing to the holiday season or Underwood reputation. If it were billed as anything but a family, holiday, country music special it would not matter.

Other skits made Carrie out to be an egotist which hardly seemed to be the Underwood I remembered. Clearly the American Idol crowd who controlled the special and control Underwood have no clue about the value of traditional American music during the holiday season. More clearly, they are trapped in their own egos and developed a script for Underwood that made her seem like a juvenile jerk.

Anyway, it was symptomatic of the perilous future for the country music industry. It was almost as if she was reaching far beyond her comfort zone to try and establish her standing in the Taylor Swift world of pop music, as if saying I belong there and I was first. It hardly seems like the Underwood of the past but it is consistent with the American Idol money machine.

Taylor Swift found her own way to the world of pop with her independence, charisma and hard work. No multi-million audiences every week on American Idol. Carrie Underwood had the audiences and sold out to the show producers and now is being pushed out of country into the more profitable pop world. Time will tell if it is a smart move.

Country music in general, and aspiring country writers and artists in particular will be the ones to really suffer.  They have no where else to go until the Internet takes over the future direction of the country music industry from the ditto record labels.

Article today....

August 20, 2014

Country Music Association Says Goodbye to Taylor Swift

By Antoinette Bueno 22 hours ago

Taylor Swift and The Country Music Association break up.

It was nice knowing you?

When Taylor Swift made it very clear in her Yahoo Live stream Monday that despite her country roots, her fifth album 1989 is her "first documented, official pop album," The Country Music Association responded shortly after with a tweet of their own.

"Good luck on your new venture @taylorswift13! We've LOVED watching you grow! #TaylorSwiftYahoo," the tweet read.

Though presumably because some of her fans took the response as a not-so-subtle dig at the "22" singer, they have since deleted the tweet.

But those following Swift's career have had to see this coming -- the first single from her new album, "Shake It Off," is indeed unabashedly pop, which should come as no surprise given that its produced by Max Martin and Shellback, the team behind the 24-year-old’s other genre-crossing hits "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble."

Just last November, The Country Music Association presented Swift with its prestigious Pinnacle Award, given to an artist who has achieved worldwide success and recognition that's unique to country music.

Country legend Garth Brooks was the only other performer to ever win the award.

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America's Toughest Super Model - NASCAR's Danica Patrick

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Survives major crash to win Daytona 500 pole position

Danica Patrick, the hottest driver in the fastest and most popular sport in the world, NASCAR and Indy car racing, survived a crash on the last lap of a race, then went out the next day and made history winning the pole position in the legendary Dayton 500 racing classic Sunday.

Born: Beloit, WI
Residence: Phoenix, AZ
Website: www.danicaracing.com

In seven short years, Danica Patrick has risen from IndyCar® Rookie of the Year to Superstar. Former team-owner Bobby Rahal has dubbed her the "first real media star in IndyCar since (Mario) Andretti and (A.J.) Foyt."*

Widely credited with bringing new interest and fans to open-wheel racing, Danica's fame has often overshadowed events on the track. Whether she's walking the red carpet or driving the Vegas strip, fans simply can't get enough of her.

Danica has appeared in numerous commercials, a Jay-Z music video, an episode of CSI:NY – she even played herself in an episode of The Simpsons. She's been mentioned in a total of 227 articles in Sports Illustrated, featured on the cover twice, and has appeared in the legendary swimsuit edition. Twice.

After splitting her time between IndyCar and NASCAR® in 2011, Danica will compete full-time in stock car racing starting in 2012 with Go Daddy's sponsorship.

And just in case there's any doubt, she's already having a powerful effect on NASCAR viewers. According to Nielsen Television Research, her 2010 Nationwide Series debut at Daytona resulted in a 35 percent increase in viewership.

Ended the 2011 NASCAR season – her second part-time season – with three top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish in Las Vegas.

Finished #10^th in the 2011 IndyCar Series standings, logging one top-5 and nine top-10 finishes out of 17 starts. Holds the series record for consecutive races running at the finish (50).

During seven seasons in IndyCar, she had 63 top-10 finishes in 115 career starts.

Best finish by a woman in a NASCAR top-circuit race (4^th place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 5, 2011).

First woman to win a major open-wheel race at Motegi, Japan (2008).

First woman in history to lead laps in the Indy 500 (2005).

* "Danica changed open-wheel racing," Holly Cain, 10/14/11, FoxSports.com

Here are the news highlights of Danica's week in Florida.

Danica Patrick made her NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing debut in today's first Gatorade Duel At Daytona. The first 59 laps were uneventful; Lap 60 was horrifying.

"It happened really quick," said Patrick, who was evaluated and released at the Speedway infield care center. "It felt pretty big. I don't know what it looked like."

Patrick's No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was bumped off the racetrack on the final lap. Her stock car bee-lined to the infield retaining wall and crashed hard.

An in-car camera aboard her car showed the 29-year-old driver take her hands off the wheel and up to her helmet shield just before impact.

Open wheel racers are taught that so that the sudden impact to the steering column won't snap a wrist.

"I felt like I was having a solid race," she said. "I was up with the front group for a while then felt like I started to slow down.

"We were looking to finish honestly. I felt comfortable. It was just a matter of getting into the right line with the right people. I'm just bummed out. We only had two corners to go."

Ironically, her car owner, Tony Stewart, won the first 150-mile qualifying race over the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time in her NASCAR career, Danica Patrick was the fastest driver in Nationwide Series qualifying Friday.

That also meant she was the fastest female and only the second woman to capture a pole position in the three major touring series in NASCAR's 64-year history.

"I really don't think about it from a girl perspective," she said after turning a 182.741-mph lap for Saturday's DRIVE4COPD 300. "I've been taught from a young age to want to be the best driver. My dad's here, so he can attest to the fact that when we'd go out go-karting, and I'd be a half-second quicker than everyone, and he was still ticked off and not happy and we kept working.

"It was about being the best driver and not the best girl."

Patrick, who will make her Sprint Cup debut in Sunday's Daytona 500, is making a full-time move to NASCAR this season. She will race full time in the lower-tier Nationwide Series and making 10 starts on the premier circuit.

In making the transition from the Izod IndyCar Series (where she raced from 2005-11 and became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 and win a major-league oval race), Patrick has talked often about wanting to build credibility with her new competitors.

She was hopeful that starting first Saturday would get more drivers enthused about seeking her out for bump-drafting, which is when two cars make contact to increase their speeds.

"Anytime that you show that you have a fast car, it's encouraging for people to want to help you," Patrick said. "You always want to be with the fastest cars possible. We'll see how it works on in the Nationwide race because it seems like there's a lot of bump-drafting. So I think that starts to earn you some respect and credibility because people will want to work with you then. Then my job is to show them that I'm good to work with."

Elliott Sadler, who qualified third, said Patrick already had proved that last July at Daytona when she led 13 laps and placed 10th (tying for her second-best finish behind a fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last March that set a record for a woman in NASCAR's national series).

Want a thrill?  Ride with Danica in the following video as she is pushed into the wall this week.


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