Besides he being extremely beautiful, what do you think of her new song. Meh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VpkZyZtH50

if youre into the whole looks like a rat kind of thing

Rule #1

Never been that impressed with her. Bubble gum pop and I don't find her that attractive. At least, not with all that makeup on.

beautiful?

She's one of those people whose appeal is lost on me. If one of her songs comes on the radio it's an automatic station change.

she looks like a real life barbie doll

and all of her songs are the same

She isn't ugly. But she has a strong case of what I like to call "alien face." It's not necessarily a bad thing. But let's face it, she looks weird.

Oh, and I hate her music. Country music is not supposed to be that repetitive.

not even close to being attractive

I'm glad to hear these comments. I was starting to think I was the only person in the world who thought she was vastly overrated,looks and talent-wise.

I don't know why, but I always think Fievel when I see pictures of her:

Why'd you have to be so mean?

Would hit it with the Wrath of God then go spend her money and wait for her to write a song about how I'm a jerk and I can't bring her down.

My theory on Swift is that a big time music agent/PR Firm made a bet for $1 that he could shove her down everyone's throat, somehow make her a star and, even more amazingly, make her seem to have *gasp* sex appeal.

Needless to say, the agent did the miraculous and won the $1.

I like her. I respect artists that write their own music, even if it's all pop music.

I think she's cute. She's too skinny for my taste, but I don't think she's ugly by any means.

I really enjoyed her Grammy performance this year, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDXBz-T4HE

I know she's "pop," but I don't see anything wrong with enjoying a good pop song every once in awhile.

I can't claim to be overly familiar with her work, but it seems pretty forgettable. Inoffensive enough, but forgettable. It just seems to lack the hook of creativity that could get me interested.

It's rare there's a popular pop song that I find really good. But it does happen. Sometimes someone just has a really catching song. Most of what I hear I categorize in either the category of bad, or the category that Taylor Swift falls in: Bland.

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My theory on Swift is that a big time music agent/PR Firm made a bet for $1 that he could shove her down everyone's throat, somehow make her a star and, even more amazingly, make her seem to have *gasp* sex appeal.

Needless to say, the agent did the miraculous and won the $1.

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Not all that far from the truth

Would that $1 bet be between the two Duke Brothers

Her Dad and Scott Borcheta made all this happen. They dropped their actual "manager" who then sued them.

Dad is wealthy, and that was enough to open some doors for her. Scott Borcheta took it from there.

And as far as her "writing" her songs...eh...not entirely. Ever heard "A word for a third?" ha

Totally made for TV, imo.

And "alien face" is the perfect description.

Taylor Swift is music specifically for young girls, maybe from 6 years old to 18 or 19. It is wrong to compare her songs to "real" music. Her inoffensive, simple pop music is a very good way to introduce these young girls to "music" without worrying about them wanting to act and dress like hookers a few weeks later.

You wouldn't put a spicy Indian Food dish in front of a baby and expect the baby to eat and enjoy it. You give them baby formula, then baby food, then applesauce, then rice, etc. You wouldn't play Zeppelin, Rush, or Guns N Roses for your 6 year old daughter and expect her to understand it. They need to grow into it.

Taylor Swift is the Gerber of the musical world. I can appreciate her for that.

The live DVD featuring her with Def Leppard was entertaining, if you're a fan of Def Leppard, which I am.

I'll have a listen every now and then.

Philo, that is a very interesting take. I've never thought of music like that...but you're absolutely right. It makes perfect sense. Except she's more like the happy meal of music. The Wiggles is more like Gerber.

taint98 - good point.

Adults can enjoy the simple pleasure of a happy meal every now and then, especially if they have kids who are ordering them. Same applies to Taylor Swift.

An adult without kids who buys a Taylor Swift needs to think seriously about his or her musical diet.

I agree that the wiggles are Gerber.

CTP is spot on.

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Well, Taylor Swift is very much what is wrong with Country Music today. it is millions and millions of money wasted on a "pop country" bublegum formula very specifically built for radio (which is the MAIN thing wrong with country music today)

All money that no longer goes into the effort to bring true musicians and songwriters to the table. And money used to corner, capture, and manipulate radio thus keeping anyone outside of the system from being heard by the masses.

If people hear things other than Taylor Swift out there, and like it, then Borcheta is screwed because then he doesn't collect all the money.

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Actually, radio is not the problem, record companies are. Radio PAYS to play music forced down its throat. If they don't pay, they can't play the music. Not being able to play an artist backed by a record company it turn hurts revenues and ratings. When revenue and ratings tank, the radio station fails.

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And as far as her "writing" her songs...eh...not entirely. Ever heard "A word for a third?" ha

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Zero writing credits for anyone else on her last album. Pretty sure that's not how a word for a third works.

"When revenue and ratings tank, the radio station fails"

True. And the labels do have a significant share of blame. But Radio has lost the POWER it once had by placating. There are really only a handful of majors left...and if radio broke that format, and started playing "quality" over the stuff they feel "forced" to play, then that would be the end of it.

Did you know that a station like the WOLF in DFW is allowed to play 18 songs a day? 18! Not even HALF of the top 40. And that is 18 on a list that they get each morning...not 18 that they get to pick.

So when you hear Taylor 25 times a day, it should be no surprise. And if you hear Taylor 25 times a day while driving your kids to soccer practice, then you don't really have much of a chance to hear what else is out there. So you miss out on the 99% of music that is way better than anything Taylor or the writers Big Machine hires will ever put out.

DJ's and Program Directors don't have any decision making power. I am not sure why anyone would even want to do that now days. DJ's used to have a part in discovering and introduced great new music. Now they push PLAY on the console to play what they are told, when they are told.

WHo knows what PD's and PM's actually do no days. I guess administrative work.

Ctp- there are definitely radio stations that do allow the dj's to play what they want but most are not commercial. KEXP in Seattle is a great example.

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Did you know that a station like the WOLF in DFW is allowed to play 18 songs a day? 18! Not even HALF of the top 40. And that is 18 on a list that they get each morning...not 18 that they get to pick.

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Wow.

Duff McKagan has a good blog. He recently wrote that radio stations do focus groups on new songs with 3 choices per song. Does the song:
A. Make you want to change the station
B. Make you want to turn the radio up
C. Make you want to do nothing

Guess what answer they look for..... C. Yep, the radio station doesn't even want you putting your hand near the dial to turn up a good song. That's why the big commercial stations only play what they feel is the very safest music.

I've accepted this fact about radio, and now I use it for white noise on occasion.

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DJ's and Program Directors don't have any decision making power.

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Sad but true. This suddenly makes me depressed about my job...