You know you’ve seen it. She’s everywhere. She has been setting records across the globe along with her incredible fan base known as “Swifties”

Her most recent album, “The Tortured Poets Department”, was marketed with full force. ‘What kind of marketing?’ I hear you ask.

First up: Pop-up store

A Spotify exhibit in Los Angeles teasing the songs and the album:

Second: QR codes teasing the album

Finally: Meta gives a completely new feature just for Taylor Swift

This is quite something, isn’t it?

If you have ever bought an album that is even slightly intense, then you must have come across this sticker:

Ever wondered how it started?

Up until the 80s, musicians had no restrictions on what kind of music and lyrics they could put out, but eventually parents started to take notice of what their kids are listening to. Enter, the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which pushed the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to introduce the parental advisory sticker intended to warn parents about explicit content in music albums. It was supposed to protect young listeners from potentially inappropriate material, such as profanity and themes of violence, sex, or substance abuse.

What was the reverse effect of this? Rather than deterring sales, the sticker often boosted them. Albums labelled with the Parental Advisory sticker frequently saw increased popularity and commercial success, especially among the rebellious youth. Notable examples include albums by artists like N.W.A., whose album "Straight Outta Compton" became a massive hit despite, or perhaps because of, its explicit content and the presence of the sticker.

Some artists began to see the Parental Advisory sticker as a badge of honour, using it to enhance their image as boundary-pushing and controversial figures.

The sticker contributed to the branding of artists in genres such as hip-hop, rock, and heavy metal, where explicit content was often a key part of their appeal and identity.

Some artists began to see the Parental Advisory sticker as a badge of honour, using it to enhance their image as boundary-pushing and controversial figures.

The sticker contributed to the branding of artists in genres such as hip-hop, rock, and heavy metal, where explicit content was often a key part of their appeal and identity.

Sometimes, you need to use adversity to your advantage!

As a band, Radiohead is definitely an oddball (read: QUIRKY).

Back before Spotify was an accessible or well-known platform, you still had to buy physical music albums or download them after buying the digital copy.

So let’s go back to that era. 2007, to be specific. When Radiohead released  “In Rainbows”.

Instead of going the traditional route with their seventh studio album, Radiohead did away with norms and did something no major band had done before: they let fans pay whatever they wanted for the album! Yes, you read that right. From $0 to $100, the price was entirely up to the listener.

Radiohead’s bold move generated massive attention and conversations across the globe. Everyone was talking about it: "Would people pay? How much? Is this the future of music?"

When the album dropped on October 10, 2007, the servers were nearly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of traffic. Millions of fans rushed to download In Rainbows and became part of this unprecedented musical experiment.

Did it work? Well, the album sold an estimated 3 million copies - so you be the judge!

Radiohead’s groundbreaking strategy didn’t just put them at the forefront of innovative marketing - it sparked a worldwide discussion on the value of music and digital distribution.