Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the United States, announced on Tuesday that it would hire a reporter to cover one of biggest names in music: Taylor Swift.
As Swift’s prominence grows during her record-breaking tour, Gannett said it was looking for a reporter who could capture the significance of her music, as well as her “growing legacy” and “the effect she has across the music and business worlds.”
The reporter would be writing for USA Today and The Tennessean, the publisher’s newspaper in Nashville, where Swift began her career as a country darling before selling out stadiums across North America on her record-breaking Eras Tour.
The job reflects the frenzied fandom that has surrounded Swift, whose cultural resonance seems to deepen with each album, including the re-recordings of her old music. Her fans have spent thousands of dollars on concert tickets and shook the ground so hard at one concert that it registered as an earthquake on a seismometer near Seattle.
Reactions to the job posting have been mixed, including praise for Gannett for trying to reach a new audience and criticism over how the company has laid off local journalists in recent years.
Kristin Roberts, Gannett chief content officer, said in a statement on Tuesday night that the USA Today Network, which the company owns, is committed to serving its readers with essential journalism, and that “includes providing our audience with content they crave.”
“As Taylor Swift’s fan base has grown to unprecedented heights, so has the influence of her music and growing legacy – not only on the industry but on our culture,” Roberts said. “She is shaping a generation and is relevant, influential and innovative – just like us.”
Newspapers often employ music critics and entertainment reporters, but rarely assign a reporter to cover a single artist.
The popularity of Swift, though, has proved to be a powerful force over the summer, culturally and economically.
A Federal Reserve survey of business contacts reported that Swift fans, or Swifties, had bolstered hotel revenues in the Philadelphia region. Although Swift, 33, and her promoters do not publicly report box-office figures, the trade publication Pollstar estimates that she has been selling about $14 million (€13 million) in tickets each night. By the end of her planned world tour, which is booked with 146 stadium dates, including three nights in Dublin, well into 2024, Swift’s sales could reach $1.4 billion or more – exceeding Elton John’s $939 million for his multiyear farewell tour, the current record-holder. – This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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