New York Times: How Big Is Taylor Swift?

The NYT ran this story last May, a few weeks after the release of Taylor Swift's last album, The Tortured Poets Department. It's a lengthy analysis comparing Swift to other major pop stars in history (Beatles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyoncé, etc.). In particular, data from the Hot 100 were used to compare how Swift's hit-making prowess stacks up against The Beatles in the '60s and Madonna in the '80s-'00. When discussing the Beatles, the writer noted that if the group were active and as prolific in the 2020s as they were in the 1960s, they would surely have many more Hot 100 hits, given how the eligibility rules of the chart has changed. It's one of the several key reasons that comparing artists' chart histories across different eras is challenging and always carries caveats.

On the eve of the of Swift's new album, The Life of a Showgirl, it's a good read.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/17/arts/music/taylor-swift-sales-tours-grammys.html