The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift – HBR.org Daily

At age 35, Taylor Swift has been at the top of the music industry for two decades. She’s one of the top 10 best-selling artists of all time and the most financially successful musician of her generation. Her Eras Tour, which set off a global frenzy, was the highest-grossing tour in history. And while the music business has undergone profound technological and business model disruptions, Swift has managed to thrive throughout all the changes.
The secret to Swift’s long-term success, this article argues, can be attributed to four behaviors: targeting untapped markets, finding opportunities to create stickiness, maintaining productive paranoia, and adapting to radical shifts in platforms. By studying the sophisticated moves she has made, business leaders can draw valuable lessons on innovation, reinvention, and strategic thinking.
Even people who don’t follow music closely recognize that Taylor Swift has become a global cultural force. What most people don’t understand is how much of her success is driven by strategic decision-making.
When Swift began writing songs, country music was dominated by men and most music was consumed via radio or CD. She’s succeeded in an industry undergoing profound technological and business model shifts. That has required her to undergo several phases of reinvention.
Swift’s success can be attributed to four behaviors: targeting untapped markets, finding opportunities to create stickiness, maintaining productive paranoia, and adapting to radical shifts in platforms. By studying her career, business leaders can draw valuable lessons on innovation and strategic thinking.
Less than two decades since making her debut recording, Taylor Swift has conquered the music industry. She has released 11 original studio albums, and the combined sales and streams of her music catalog place her among the top 10 best-selling artists of all time—a group dominated by commercial juggernauts such as Michael Jackson, Elvis, Madonna, and Frank Sinatra. Her recently concluded Eras Tour—the highest-grossing tour of all time—set off a global frenzy that sparked comparisons to the Beatles. With a net worth estimated at $1.6 billion, Swift is the most financially successful musician of her generation. And she’s managed to achieve all this during a time when the industry has undergone profound technological and business model shifts, moving from CDs to iTunes to Spotify.

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