Swifties, this one’s for you. It seems like Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has lasted eons. Yet somehow, there’s always something to talk about. Just thinking about how much she’s accomplished while on tour makes me want to buckle down, lock in, and channel my inner girlboss. But while I can’t even be bothered to cook dinner at home after a long day of work, Taylor is accomplishing milestones most musicians can only dream of. Let’s recap.
The Era’s Tour began in March 2023 with its North American leg. It’s set to go until December 2024, with dates in Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America— spanning 152 shows across five continents.
As the queen of multitasking, Swift hasn’t stopped at just selling out stadiums. Since the Eras tour began, she’s released multiple albums — both new and old — and shaken up the tour setlist with each new release. Her list of new releases started on the first day of tour with “All Of The Girls You Loved Before,” which was quickly followed up by “The Alcott,” a feature on The National’s album — reciprocity for their work on her pandemic era albums, Folklore and Evermore.
She also released Midnights: Late Night Edition (including the iconic collab with Ice Spice), as well as not one but two album re-releases — Speak Now Taylor's Version and 1989 Taylor's Version. As if that wasn’t enough, she announced her latest album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, in a GRAMMY’s acceptance speech. Talk about legendary. Since its release, she’s also been churning out deluxe versions and remixes to keep us on our toes. The Eras Tour was even made into a Blockbuster film that brought Beyonce to its premiere. Star power: confirmed.
But that’s just her work life. Her personal life is just as eventful. She ended her 7-year relationship with Joe Alwyn in April 2023. Then entered into a brief but controversial fling with 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Though it didn’t last long, the relationship was enough to inspire a whole album and catapult her into her current romance with Travis Kelce, aka Amerca’s first nepo boyfriend. Now they’re the American Royal couple — and she somehow had time to fly from tour to his Super Bowl performance.
We all have the same hours in the day as Taylor Swift, but how she uses them will always be a mystery to me. I work eight hours a day and can barely manage a social life. Meanwhile, Taylor literally has it all — though conservatives are turning on her for daring to be a woman in her 30s who’s not married with kids. If that’s not proof that women can’t do anything right, I don’t know what is.
Clearly, she’s working late because she’s a singer. No wonder Taylor Swift became a billionaire months into her tour in October 2023. Her net worth is currently around 1.3 billion dollars, making her the only female musician to become a billionaire from her music.
Other entertainment billionaires like Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Jay-Z, and Kanye West have joined the three-comma club thanks to ventures like clothing brands, beauty products, and other entrepreneurial pursuits. Rihanna has her FENTY Empire. Kim has her award-winning SKIMS. Ye had Yeezy. But Taylor has an unbeatable catalog of publishing.
But Taylor isn’t just different from other Billionaires because of how she earned her money. She’s the Taylor we know and love because of how she spends it. Her rollercoaster Eras Tour is how she’s made much of her fortune. And she’s using it to give back in monumental degrees. From individual donations to investing in local infrastructure, Taylor is literally changing lives on a macro and micro scale. And teaching us what to expect from all billionaires in the process.
The Era’s Tour Bonuses — Talk About Workplace Benefits
First to make headlines were the Eras Tour crew bonuses. While some of us get rewarded with a pizza party or a $10 gift card to Starbucks, Taylor casually dropped $55 million in bonuses for her tour crew. The massive sum was paid out to everyone who makes the Eras Tour go around, from truck drivers to dancers and sound technicians.
In fairness, these bonuses are definitely well-deserved. Taylor’s shows are over three hours long. Imagine dancing for that long — because Swift certainly isn’t the one with the impressive moves — for hundreds of tour dates. Or remembering countless combinations of light cues to go with a setlist that changes daily. Yeah, they’re clocking in. And if my boss had millions to blow, I’d be expecting a comfortable bonus too. But $55 Million? That’s a testament to Swift’s generosity. It's like she's Oprah, but instead of cars, she's giving out life-changing amounts of cash. "You get a bonus! You get a bonus! Everybody gets a bonus!"
It’s similar to how Zendaya gave film equity to every member of the crew that worked on her controversial black-and-white drama, Malcolm & Marie. Filmed in a few days with a bare-bones crew during the peak of the pandemic, the film was Zendaya’s passion project with Sam Levinson, in which she starred alongside John David Washington. Though the film got mixed reviews, it captured the audience’s attention all the same. After all, it was Zendaya — and we’ll watch her in anything. So since the film sold to Netflix for a hefty sum, all the crew members got payouts from the deal on top of their salaries to reward their hard work.
Bonuses and equity payouts are common in many industries, but not entertainment. Even though it’s one of the most lucrative and recognizable American industries, most entertainers don’t make enough to survive. The SAG and WGA strikes last year were proof that there needs to be systemic change in the industry. LA County has even identified show businesses as risk factors for being unhoused — after all, how many stories do we hear of actors who were living in their cars before their big break? And for many, their big break never comes. For even more, they get hired on amazing gigs with giant performers … then go right back to the grind afterward. While individual actions from our favorite stars won’t fix everything, Zendaya and Taylor are providing models for how Hollywood should treat the people who make this town go round.
And in this economy, even a little bit could go a long way. Inflation and the cost of living are not a joke. Especially when, like with many creative careers, you often have to invest in lessons or equipment for your craft. With all this considered, the impact of Swirt’s donations can’t be overstated. Imagine getting a lump sum of cash for dancing to your favorite Taylor Swift tracks? Talk about a dream job.
The Economic Impact of Swift - Swiftonomics, if you will
Like Barbie and Beyonce last year, Swift is still on a tear to boost the economy of the cities she’s in just by traveling there — ad inspiring others to make the trek, too.
The Barbie movie proved that by marketing to women (instead of just making Marvel flops like Madame Web that aren’t really targeted to women at all), the entertainment industry can make giant profits. Barbie fever went beyond the theater. Thanks to a plethora of product collabs, the phenomenon rippled through retail.
Similarly, Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour tour generated an estimated $4.5 billion for the American economy. According to NPR, that’s almost as much as the entire 2008 Olympics earned for Beijing. People were taking money out of their 401ks to pay for Beyonce tickets and the glittery, silver-hues outfits to rock at her shows. Cities even started calling her effect the “Beyonce Bump.”
Swift has the same effect. She’s not just proving her generosity on a micro-scale for the people close to her, she’s having actual, tangible effects on the economy. It's like she's leaving a trail of dollar bills in her wake, and cities are scrambling to catch them like it's a country-pop, capitalist version of musical chairs.
The US Travel Association called it the Taylor Swift Impact after she generated over $5 Billion in just the first 5 months of the Eras Tour. But how does this work? It’s not like Taylor is printing more money at those shows, but it almost is. Her tour dates are pretty much economic steroid shots for local businesses. Hotels are booked solid, restaurants are packed, and let's not even get started on the surge in friendship bracelet supplies.
“Swifties averaged $1,300 of spending in local economies on travel, hotel stays, food, as well as merchandise and costumes,” say the US Travel Association. “That amount of spending is on par with the Super Bowl, but this time it happened on 53 different nights in 20 different locations over the course of five months.” That’s not to say anothing of her effect on the actual Super Bowl and the entire NFL season thanks to her ball-throwing boyfriend.
It's like she's created her own micro-economy, and everyone's invited to the party. And unlike some economic theories that rely on wealth trickling down (spoiler alert: it doesn't), Taylor's wealth is more like a t-shirt cannon or the confetti at her shows — showering everyone around.
Donations that actually do good
Taylor isn’t just stepping into cities and calling it a night. She’s also not just throwing pennies at problems - she's making significant contributions that are changing lives. And more importantly, she's using her platform to encourage her fans to do the same.
She kicked off her tour with quiet donations to food banks in Glendale, Ariz., and Las Vegas ahead of the Eras Tour. Once the tour was in full swing, she continued this practice. In Seattle, she donated to Food Lifeline, a local hunger relief organization. In Santa Clara, she showed some love to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. And let's not forget about her $100,000 donation to the Hawkins County School Nutrition Program in Tennessee.
She’s been making similar donations overseas. Taylor Swift donated enough money to cover the food bills for an entire year across 11 food banks and & community pantries in Liverpool. Swift also covered 10,800 meals for Cardiff Foodbank and many more banks across the UK and EU. Her impact is so profound that her numbers are doing more to combat issues like hunger than the government.
Can billionaires actually be good?
One thing about me, I’m always ready and willing — knife and fork in hand — to eat the rich. Because fundamentally, can any billionaire really be good? In our late-stage capitalist horror story, the answer is usually no. Look how many of them are supporting the Trump campaign just to get some tax breaks.
But here's the thing - Taylor Swift might just be the exception that proves the rule. She's not perfect, sure. She still flies private jets and probably has a carbon footprint bigger than Bigfoot. But unlike most of the others in her tax bracket, she's not flaunting her wealth like it's a personality trait.
Take a look around. We've got billionaires trying to colonize Mars instead of, I don't know, helping people on Earth. In this context, Taylor's approach is more like Mackenzie Scott’s — Bezos’s ex-wife. She's not trying to escape to another planet - she's trying to make this one better.
And look, I'm not saying we should stop critiquing billionaires or the system that creates them. But she's just setting the bar for what we should expect from all billionaires. She's showing us that our collective power as fans can translate into real-world change. That our love for catchy choruses and bridge drops can somehow, improbably, lead to food banks getting funded and crew members getting life-changing bonuses.
So sorry to my neighbors who hear me belting “Cruel Summer” and “right where you left me” at the top of my lungs (and range). Just know it’s for the greater good.
Burning Down The House - The War On Public Libraries
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” --Ray Bradbury
It’s National Library Week, so I’ve been thinking a lot about knowledge and the idea that knowledge should be readily available – for all. An informed populace is crucial to the health of the nation and a bulwark of democracy. The ability to think, to reason, to avoid being fooled, all these notions are tied to reading and easy access to the wisdom of the ages.
And this is exactly why libraries – and their contents – are under siege these days.
HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery recently told readers:
“Librarians are living in constant fear. They have become the targets
of Republican politicians and far-right groups like Moms for Liberty
Liberty that are hellbent on burning books about LGBTQ+ people,
people of color and racism. Some librarians are quitting their jobs
because of constant harassment; others are getting fired for
refusing to clear shelves of books that conservatives don’t like.”
If that’s not bad enough – and it is – Bendery informs us there’s another evil twist in the tale: “The GOP’s censorship campaign has shifted from book bans to legislation threatening librarians with jail time.” Idaho’s tried several times to enact such legislation; this February, West Virginia passed a bill “making librarians criminally liable if a minor comes across content that some might consider obscene.” Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, and Georgia are also considering various means of keeping books they don’t like off the shelves...and they’re not alone.
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom shared some frightening statistics: “The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023; school libraries saw an 11% increase over 2022 numbers.”
Given these ever-more-frequent, ever-more-strident attacks, what can a concerned reader do to stem the tide of book-banning?
PEN America, an organization whose mission “is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible,” offers a number of ways to make one’s voice heard. Whether you’re a student, a parent, an author, or a librarian, PEN America provides advice, assistance, and resources to keep you informed and ready to push back.
The need to support the nation’s libraries is more urgent than ever. In Bendery’s HuffPost piece, American Library Association President Emily Drabinski draws a chilling conclusion: “What gets lost in conversations about book banning is that it’s really about eliminating the institution of the library, period. It’s not about the books. Well, it is about the books, but the books are the way in to gut one of the last public institutions that serves everyone.”
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture,” Ray Bradbury once said. “Just get people to stop reading them.”
Bradbury was one of the 20th century’s finest fabulists, the author of The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and the worldwide blockbuster Fahrenheit 451. Published in 1952, the novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a future where books are illegal and firemen don’t put out fires – they start them. Printed matter is what they burn.
Bradbury was writing in the tense, paranoid early years of the McCarthy era. But he might as well have penned those words last Thursday.
Support your local library. Speak up for the voices the hate-mongers would shut down. Before – as history’s proven again and again – they try to shut down yours.
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Students fight a book ban by giving away free banned bookswww.youtube.com
The New York Public Library has also weighed in on the matter, you can find its suggestions here.
Retail sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 increased 3.1 percent from 2022, according to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. Here's a snapshot of scenes around Miami just before and just after Christmas from big-name stores in malls to independent shops.
Written by Samantha Phillips
It's over. Strolling around December 26th we see the fortunate kids riding their new bikes, gleaming helmets featuring animal ears or dinosaur spikes, and oversized Messi t-shirts freshly unwrapped for Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanzaa.
Retail sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 increased 3.1 percent from 2022, according to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment.
Looking back at the holidaze, here's a snapshot of scenes around Miami just before and just after Christmas. I took the consumer temperature from the perspective of retail workers, security guards, and shoppers from big-name stores in malls to independent shops.
Friday 12/22:
The zeitgeist is anxious this year, what with conflict and wars abroad, mass shootings at home, and global warming everywhere, it's not surprising that I sensed stress in the air at Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. Bankrate.com found that 54% of holiday shoppers expect to feel financially burdened this year. A retail sales associate at Levis witnessed a shopper crying, piles of clothes in disarray, customers "ripping through the piles and yelling at each other." The most common triggers for conflict? "Someone taking the last item of a particular size." This associate has also witnessed altercations in parking lots when one driver aces another for a coveted space.
Moving right along...
Four o’clock that afternoon. Tension is thick in Anthropologie in Shops at Merrick Park in Coral Gables. Only three registers are available for the line of 50 consumers waiting in line. By eight PM 20 customers are still waiting to make their purchases. A sales associate tells me that the most common customer complaints include no wrapping services, slow-moving lines, and no capacity to ring everyone up via phone. "Someone called us unprofessional because we use registers, not phones as ways to check out, and asked to speak to the manager. People also get mad that there aren't enough gift boxes, but we just run out this time of year."
How does she handle it? By being polite to customers and asking for the same courtesy in return.
Nine PM: Merrick Park’s L'Occitane en Provence is getting ready to close. The atmosphere seems calmer here; it might stem from the scent of verbena and lavender wafting through the small corner store. The sales associate at the counter reflects: "Everyone’s stressed, they come, they go, they come back, two, three times, before making a purchase."
This coming and going might not be such a bad idea. I ask a customer stuck in a line how she deals with stress. After thinking it over, this student from a college in Chicago says: "If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a break. You can leave your stuff and the store, or even the mall, and go back later when it's calmer."
Super Saturday 12/23
11:30 AM: I get an earlier start on what is heralded as the second busiest shopping day after Black Friday. Sephora at the packed Dadeland Mall is already heating up with a line of 30. I ask a frazzled-looking salesperson: What's flying off the shelves this holiday season?
His response: Charlotte Tilbury makeup | Junk Elephant - Bronzing Drops | Brazilian Crush - Cheirosa, $38
Have shoppers been stressed? He says he’s seen customers "In line arguing. Last night someone got mad because a mom was holding a place for her daughter but it looked like cutting. I tell them politely. When in line, remember everyone is there for the same reason.” More body cream is needed. With a parting wink, he tells me it's okay not to send more people to Sephora by promoting it in this article at this exact moment...
Suniland Shopping Center in Pinecrest, a two-block cluster of shops and a post office, the stores have a neighborhood vibe.
Runners High "Your Family Footwear Store." About 20 people are shopping in a small sporting goods store. Penny, the rescue pup and store mascot, trots among the stacks of sneakers and is frequently petted. “Some people come just to see Penny," says Bryon Kibort. "I've owned this store for 24 years and been in this shopping center for 39.” A customer from abroad who always visits the store when he’s in the States says: "The prices are the same as in a big chain but the service is better and it's a unique place."
According to the salespeople, the most popular sneakers are Hoka Clifton and Brooks Ghost.
Photo by Samantha Phillips
A few doors away is another independent store, one of several Books & Books booksellers.
Founded by Mitch Kaplan – also co-founder of the acclaimed Miami Book Fair – this store stands out as a beacon of reading in a state where books are regularly banned. The atmosphere feels serene compared to the mall.
Sarah Paredes, a teenager working behind the counter, tells me: "Bookstores are inherently calm. There are good vibes here all the time. Customers are patient online and banter about book recommendations." Sarah grew up coming to the store and currently attends a local high school. The store is like a family, she says, then adds: "It's funny. I answered the phone, and it was my mom, ordering a bunch of $25 gift certificates.”
A co-worker mentions the comfy seating area and the ability to shop with your eyes. This makes the atmosphere calm even though she's busy with a lot of holiday tasks, from gift wrapping to offering personalized reading guidance. As I wait to buy my gift certificates, a friendly woman explains to me that she has a list of all of Florida's banned books and is going to buy them in triplicate here to give as presents. She also just bought 24 mugs online that say "I Read Banned Books" for her friends. My new acquaintance and I admire a t-shirt on the wall together: "fREADom.”
"Reading stops stupidity,” Sarah tells me in parting. Find your local Indie Bookstore here:
Photo by Samantha Phillips
Next up, a chat with the security officer at a busy Apple store on Lincoln Road in South Beach. He’s noticed that some shoppers look overwhelmed and the stress intensifies the closer they get to Christmas. "People get up against it, but that's not what this season is about. They shouldn't lose the significance of the holidays." How does he stay calm? Some of it’s spiritual, he says, along with the fact there aren't Christmas discounts at Apple – customers know the prices. They have to remain cool. One thing's for sure: this security officer is so chill he might have been born at the North Pole.
December 25th
7:50 PM, ten minutes before this CVS closes an hour ahead of time. Looking for batteries, I watch a cluster of customers and two helpful salespeople. I'm surprised that the mood is so jovial. The salesperson immediately asks me if I need help to find the batteries. I ask what people have been buying, as CVS is one of the few stores (besides a liquor store and an IHOP) open at the Suniland in this area of Miami. “Shoppers are buying chocolate, gift cards, and wine." Everyone’s been friendly. I know where I’ll be going for same-day gifts next year!
December 26th
Perhaps it was the luck of the draw, but many of the lines at the Dadeland Mall were surprisingly calm.
At Merrick Park's J. Crew, the cashier tells me the biggest stress is people returning gifts without a receipt — and also without the email of the person who bought the present. "They don't know what to do, and this holds up the line."
The cashier at Alo seconds this. "We just expect lines this week through New Year’s, since people have to retrieve receipts and then come in for exchanges, discounts, and to use gift cards."
Takeaways
Breathe deep and keep your receipts.
When shopping, bear in mind there might not be enough items in your size, gift boxes, open registers, or gift-wrapping services.
Keep your cool: If we can spend 20 minutes looking for one gift, it's not reasonable to get mad about time when we can't pay immediately. Half the battle of seasonal shopping is mastering our impatience.
Alternative Gifts
If you're still looking around, like the 50% of Americans including 51% of parents and 75% of people between 18 - 34 who postpone gift giving for themselves or others until after the holidays so they can take advantage of discounts (according to a survey from Best Buy). Here are some more personalized ideas: Experiences: Theater, music, dance, tickets, classes, trips…
• Help stop child hunger in the USA: NoKidHUNGRY
• Donate to Unicef (local or global options)
• Offer up baby or pet-sitting
• Write a poem, story, frame self-made art or a photo
• Enter someone in a raffle that goes towards a cause you care about. For example: Brandi Carlise where your donation goes to the Looking Out Foundation.
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