Even when she "underperforms," she still sells more than most artists at their peak.

So… is she genuinely flop-proof, or just too big to fail at this point?

+ I'm asking whether Taylor Swift the brand is now bigger than Taylor Swift the artist, & if that makes her functionally flop-proof for reasons that have nothing to do with artistic risk.

Yes.

When artist are at their most powerful, its impossible to imagine a world where they aren't as powerful anymore. Take Madonna, Britney, I mean even Paul McCartney. Nothing lasts forever.

"Flop" for Taylor standards? Sure, I don't see her selling the same amounts now first week in like... 20 years from now. But a flop by general standards? No way, she will always have a guaranteed #1 album with great sales with a successful tour to boot.

No her sales will only ever increase until she reaches critical mass and explodes.

I think this will happen within 10 years.

She will be too old to sell her high school lyrics to a young crowd. It won't be as convincing anymore.

Flop for her standards = commercial peaks of other MPGs

6 minutes ago, CallumDavies said:

When artist are at their most powerful, its impossible to imagine a world where they aren't as powerful anymore. Take Madonna, Britney, I mean even Paul McCartney. Nothing lasts forever.

Are you really saying Madonna, Britney, and Paul never flopped? 🤦 Madonna and Britney both flopped early into their careers.

Quality wise? Yes

Obviously, her high school schtick isn't going to fly when she's in her 60s

I mean never say never but....

15 minutes ago, D.M.F said:

Are you really saying Madonna, Britney, and Paul never flopped? 🤦 Madonna and Britney both flopped early into their careers.

No I'm saying at times in their career, they were the biggest artists in the world, and they all flopped

no. as long as ATRL exists she will have hits just to spite every OTH on the board, you must let go of yr hate if you want her to flop

Yes. High school. McDonald's.

Critically she already has with Poets and now TLOAS.

Next album will be #13 so stans will be extra hype for it but unless she pulls another Folklore (which Taylor didn't even expect to be so massive), there will be a decline. How fast it happens depends on how Billie's career will go and any other new artist who tries her style and shakes up the charts.

Yeah. Have you not heard that it's imminent?

Eventually she will, but only for her standards.

She's carved out such a highly engaged fansbase comprised of what seems to be rather uncompromising, commercially minded people with commercial tastes, so as long as she doesn't deviate from the Taylor Formula, she's going to have success.

She also has found a way to gamify pop... in a way that suits herself and the fans which inevitably inflates sales, which is why even if she flops for her standards as long as she's still offering variants and doing new marketing pushes each era, she's going to maintain the baseline of success that prevents her from being a flop.

30 minutes ago, QueenB said:

"Flop" for Taylor standards? Sure, I don't see her selling the same amounts now first week in like... 20 years from now. But a flop by general standards? No way, she will always have a guaranteed #1 album with great sales with a successful tour to boot.

I can see her continue to go platinum at least in the USA for the remainder of her career tbh

No.

Every single artist in pop history has flopped eventually. In Taylor's case it might not happen for another decade or longer, but time comes for everyone I fear. It's all relative, though, and I'm sure her eventual 'flop era' will look like other artists' peak.

Edited January 19Jan 19 by Aaron

Eventually yea.

I'm actually so intrigued to see a 40-50 year old Taylor on tour singing We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Shake It Off, Me!, You Need To Calm Down, Anti-Hero, Bad Blood, Look What You Made Me Do, etc.

She's a marketing mastermind. She cracked the code. Not that it's that hard.

The built in fanbase is what ensures broad success and longevity. She'll adapt to the times. Even if that means pulling an Adele and spacing out her albums 2-5 years. I hate to say it, but the divorce album will be massive if the time comes.

Yes.

End Game bombed a shame!

She has a super loyal fanbase and probably won't flop-flop the nearest future, but flopping is unavoidable.

A good chunk of her fanbase will probably move on to someone else when she ages noticeably because they seem very attracted to the youth aspect of her image and that's obviously hard to sustain the rest of your live.