poll is it finally time to admit Taylor has surpassed Madonna?

[DTF]

Taylor and Madonna are the two biggest white MPG singer songwriters of their respective generations. Obviously, Madonna sold a lot of records during the peak of the music industry. However, adjusting for inflation, it’s arguable that Taylor’s sales consistency and cultural presence outpaces where Madonna was 17 years into her career. Does the commercial and cultural impact surpass the vaunted queen of pop?

 

edit: according to respected publication Billboard she has already surpassed MJ

https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-1989-lose-listeners-taylors-version/

 

edit 2: HDD confirms Taylor will have a sixth million-plus album debut week, Madonna has not even achieved one

Edited November 1, 2023 by DTF

[Cruel Summer]

I think that while, in terms of overall units and raw consumption metrics, Taylor is well on her way to outselling Madonna in the next few years, we need not count our chickens before they hatch. I also think a lot of people would strongly disagree that Taylor has yet outpaced Madonna's cultural influence, even in the US - Madonna is, after all, THE pop star blueprint.

[Storm653]

Nah.

 

Madge is still factually the best selling female act of all time and her global success is still the strongest of any female pop star. 

 

Taylor is arguably 2nd in command though. 

[CandleGuy]

It's not that complicated.

 

Taylor has surpassed Madonna and Britney in sales and consumption.

 

She will never pass them in impaqkt or cultural relevance.

 

 

[chaklux]

Madonna mostly sold one album per one person each and still sold millions . Taylor release several versions of the same thing , with a single Stan buying like 4 copies of the same album. You can’t compare. 
 

Also the best Taylor can ever do is surpass her commercial sale. She will never touch her cultural impact. Madonna will always be the greatest female pop star ever.

Edited October 28, 2023 by chaklux

[BANKS]

time to log off for a bit 

[k4rmabutterfly]

If we compare both 10th albums (Confessions and Midnights) think they are pretty similar. Madonna fell off after Hard Candy, so let’s wait two more albums to see how Taylor compares.

[45seconds]

Madonna did NOT sell most of her albums in the “peak” of music industry. The music industry sales peak happened in the late 90s-early 00s. Madonna’s biggest selling albums were sold in the 80s and first few years of the 90s. 

[Trainwreck]

No, however she's on the right path to do so. I'll give her one more decade until she finally catches up to the queen of pop.

[Gorjesspazze9]

But Taylor hasn’t outsold Madonna

 so there’s your answer. 

[LittleStarmen]

Theres no selling. its ll streaming and downloads... its not a comparable metric

[wastedpotential]

It's certainly debatable as to whether it's happened yet, but I think everyone can agree that it's inevitable

[Yossarian]

how old is atrl lmao y'all are overplaying madonnas cultural relevance and underplaying Taylor's

 

When Kanye did the VMA thing to Taylor the first black president weighed in. 

 

Madonnas been a bit of a joke for the past 20 years, as far as cultural relevance its what... being made fun of on family guy and celebrated during the musical on rupauls drag race? 

 

Madonna will always be cooler tho. I think they're both equally intelligent and talented

[WildHeart]

12 minutes ago, chaklux said:

Madonna mostly sold one album per one person each and still sold millions . Taylor release several versions of the same thing , with a single Stan buying like 4 copies of the same album. You can’t compare. 

This "reach" argument makes zero sense when Taylor is getting 100M daily streams from +20M unique listeners. 

 

Madonna's highest selling album sold like 20-30M albums. That’s equal to Taylor's daily listeners so acting like Taylor's success comes from same people buying 3652624 copies is just nonsensical. 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Artistofthedecade

[Devin]

we went from disrespecting Rihanna to now disrespecting Madonna. 

[tiagol88]

15 minutes ago, CandleGuy said:

It's not that complicated.

 

Taylor has surpassed Madonna and Britney in sales and consumption.

 

She will never pass them in impaqkt or cultural relevance.

 

 

And then you woke up

[Feanor]

She hasn't yet, but unless something drastic happens à la 'Witness', she will when all things are said and done.

[istan4badgalriri]

Madonna sold all those records while being a controversial, polarizing figure and a risk-taker. She never cared to soften or tone down her image and her music in order to cater to the masses and sell albums. Yet, still became the best-selling female artist of all time. That’s why she’ll always be thee queen of pop

[Alongoria13]

The only thing Taylor has done over Madonna is remain commercially successful and stable for longer but this comes at the price of being most likely the most boring mainstream artist to come out this century

[Punky Rooster]

How exactly? The sales aren't there, the absolute game changing music and visuals aren't there, the creativity isn't there, the risk taking and evolution isn't there, the groundbreaking live performances aren't there, she isn't a fashion icon even though she has worn beautiful gowns...

 

Sure, people are listening to Taylor a lot at the moment, but people also listened to Madonna a lot too, it just wasn't recorded - she sold hundreds of millions of albums full of tracks that have probably been listened to many many billions of times, but we can't tell.

[LittleStarmen]

Taylor will be forgotten by the next 5 years and will be more akin to the spice girls. a big phenomemon that society has moved on

[hallucinate]

Madonna sweetie…

[Strawberry Bubble]

I think that this comparison would make even Taylor herself start laughing. 

I'm a swiftie, but she is only as big as Madonna in the U.S. It is really frustrating for me because I know Taylor has very impressive numbers and a significant cultural presence, but in my country, it's challenging to prove that to people because she isn't as prominent here. Madonna's fame is global, and Michael Jackson is the absolute pinnacle in music history. I adore Taylor and her music, but she belongs to a different generation of artists, and I believe it's impossible to replicate the idols of the past. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Sebastián Muñoz

[Eternium]

Arguing that Madonna has an unfair advantage due to the state of the industry while including fraudulent streams for Taylor as album sales is incredibly daft  

 

Madonna has not been surpassed and never will be. And I say that as someone who strongly dislikes Madonna.

[Cruel Summer]

Just now, LittleStarmen said:

Taylor will be forgotten by the next 5 years and will be more akin to the spice girls. a big phenomemon that society has moved on

Taylor Swift has consistently been one of the biggest artists in the world for fifteen years and is peaking later in her career than any comparable superstar act after already being a historic commercial force. Where exactly do you think it is she's going all of the sudden?