Taylor Swift labelled ‘true capitalist’ by fans over price of concert movie
Taylor Swift sparked controversy over the price of her Eras Tour concert movie. (Getty)
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been accused of cashing in on her popularity with the pricing of her Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour as it becomes available to rent on digital platforms.
The singer is a near-constant in the news cycle as she continues to take her tour around the world, and having recently confirmed her relationship with US football star Travis Kelce. This comes as her album re-release project, with the latest drop – 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – storms the charts.
Major streaming platforms Apple Music and Spotify have confirmed Swift as their biggest artist of 2023, and, last month, Bloomberg reported that the “Blank Space” singer had broken through into billionaire status.
Needless to say, Swift has a universal appeal and has only further catapulted into stardom the past few years after amassing a devoted Gen Z fan base. However, with great power comes great responsibility and many are starting to question if she is using her influence for good.
Over the past year, more and more fans have criticised the Grammy-Award-winning singer for what some see as money-grabbing tactics – from releasing multiple vinyl sets for the same track, such as Midnights and 1989, to creating a special set-up to secure tickets to see her live.
The latest trick up her sleeve comes after the filmed version of her concert arrived in cinemas in October. To pay homage to her birth year and 1989 album, the price of cinema tickets in the US was set at $19.89 (£15.70) plus taxes.
The move has proved a financial success, with Variety’s latest report showing the movie has surpassed $250 million (£197 million) in worldwide box-office takings.
Now she is trying her luck again.
This week, Swift announced the concert movie will be available to rent on digital platforms in the US and Canada from 13 December (her birthday) with three bonus songs: “Long Live,” “The Archer” and “Wildest Dreams”, not featured in the cinema version.
The film will only be available to rent for, you guessed it: $19.89. The audacious move has left some fans shocked and disappointed.
“Why wouldn’t she make it free? She’s a billionaire and we’ve already paid to see it [at the] movies,” one fan pointed out on social media.
Another wrote on X/Twitter: “I’m sorry, but mother has been getting kinda money greedy recently cause ain’t no way she needs to make it $20 to see one time.”
Over on Reddit, another Swiftie said: “She is really finding a way to get every single dollar she can get out of this. Renting is crazy.”
And one more wrote: “I’m kinda tired of her releasing one thing and then different versions of it later. I want to buy the thing and that’s it, know I’ve gotten the complete item, not dribs and drabs of it.”
