Brief - The Hustle

Taylor Swift’s record week

Written by Rob Litterst | Nov 4, 2022 7:13:11 AM

Taylor Swift has accomplished many things, but this week she did something that’s never been done.

After dropping her latest album, Midnights, last Friday, she promptly took over the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The closest anyone’s come to accomplishing the feat was Drake, who took over nine out of 10 spots last September.

Swift’s takeover…

… coincides with what industry execs say is the hardest time for new artists to break through.

  • TikTok has been touted as the great equalizer where anyone can blow up, but industry vet Bob Lefsetz says the platform complicates things for label execs since virality is difficult to engineer.

In this landscape, established artists like T-Swift and Drake, who have massive followings across social media, have an edge.

By the way, Drake released a new album this morning, meaning Swift’s reign at the top could be in jeopardy.