Taylor Swift: Did AT&T Make A Huge Mistake With New Deal?

Taylor Swift has signed a multi-year deal with AT&T. Billboard has the news.

“Taylor Swift has signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-faceted deal with AT&T that will pair the 10-time Grammy winner with the telecom company for years to come. Announced on Tuesday, the partnership will feature content and performances by Swift, including a headline spot at the AT&T DIRECTV Super Saturday Night concert taking place in Houston the night before Super Bowl LI.”

Comments about the article are quite excited.

“She’s looking to steal the show,” says Sabatpa.

“So excited about this partnership. I can’t wait to see what she does for these special events. Hopefully this means new music!” claims Amy.

However, despite some excitement, there is some backlash to the deal on Twitter.

Another sign that AT&T is taking too much of YOUR money: AT&T signs Taylor Swift to multiyear partnership deal https://t.co/CsSnQuTF9h

— kevincrull (@kevincrull) October 5, 2016

The problem with Taylor Swift’s deal is that she signed it in 2016, not 2014. Taylor Swift may still be a superstar, but many would argue that she is a superstar in decline. By the middle of 2015, Taylor Swift was such a success that the inevitable backlash happened. It started when Ms. Swift releases the video for “Wildest Dreams,” which some said was racist. The Huffington Post jumped on the bandwagon first.

“Instead of the cultural appropriation that has become almost status quo in today’s pop music, Swift has opted for the bolder option of actually just embodying the political exploitation of a region and its people. It’s brave, really,” sarcastically claimed author Lauren Duca, right before Salon and the Guardian went after Swift as well. But even though many would say the “racism” and “cultural appropriation” charges against Swift were unfair, they continued until 2016.

Taylor Swift with the Grammy Award for Best Album in 2016 and gave an acceptance speech that some said was inspiring. However, others said it was full of self-aggrandizement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPOPtQIEQt0

Then, in July, Kim Kardashian was responsible for exposing Taylor Swift as the “liar” and “fake” some people had always accused her of being. Us Weekly broke the story. The magazine revealed how Kardashian insisted that Taylor Swift knew about her husband Kanye West’s controversial song “Famous” on a preview of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Then, Kardashian released the ultimate proof.

The backlash came sudden and swift. And it wasn’t a backlash against Kim Kardashian. Taylor Swift was called every name in the book while many websites declared her career “over with.” Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast wondered if Swift could overcome the backlash.

“There’s fatigue over Swift’s insistence of turning fun and friendship into performance art, culminating with her star-spangled squad’s obnoxious flaunting of Fourth of July frivolity. There’s reflexive scoffing at her picture-perfect—as in probably/most definitely posed for—relationship with Tom Hiddleston,” Mr. Fallon said, before adding that Swift also used her Grammy Awards speech to elevate herself above what her rep’s statement called a “misogynist message” in regards to both West and Kardashian.

Pop stars have overcome a lot worse when it comes to backlashes. In the early 1990s, hating Madonna became an international sport, but she overcame that. Both Britney Spears and Mariah Carey became international jokes after their breakdowns, but they soon hit new career highs. Taylor Swift hasn’t been accused of child molestation, murder, or espionage. But she and AT&T need to be careful.

If the Taylor Swift backlash keeps spinning out of control, it could have a huge effect on AT&T. Why would the brand want to associate themselves with a woman who is increasingly becoming the most hated woman on the planet? Then again, Taylor Swift has one thing that a lot of fellow pop stars don’t have — a lot of talent. If Taylor Swift keeps letting her talent speak for itself, both she and AT&T could be winners.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]