Those bot armies are working overtime

I have written before in this space about the A+ list singer and her paying for play in streams and to set records.

Apparently, this holds true for plays on social media too.

Those bot armies are working overtime to make sure videos of the singer show up often in your feed whether you want them to or not.

Taylor Swift

A history of Taylor Swift’s odd, conflicting stances on streaming services – 2017

July 2014: “Valuable things should be paid for”

November 2014: Streaming is “an experiment”

March 2015: Tidal is fine

June 2015: Apple Music free trial is “shocking, disappointing”

June 2015: The first time streaming “felt right” in Taylor’s gut

August 2015: Apple Music has “humility,” Spotify is “a corporate machine”

December 2015: “A little surprise for you” – Source

Taylor Swift Angers Everyone With Pay-for-Play Ticket Scheme – 2017

Taylor Swift may be one of the most popular artists out there, but the singer is facing some heat from fans and media alike as she ramps up for an album release and major tour.

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Fans looking to catch the 27 year-old on her upcoming tour must register through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program. The program allows the ticket giant and its artist partners to prioritize who gets access to presales, ostensibly to keep non-fans from scooping up the best seats and re-selling them. But the singer-songwriter’s team has come up with a unique twist to crank its profit margins even higher: encouraging fans to buy their way to the front of the line.

Once a fan has opted in (which requires a Ticketmaster account and tying your mobile phone number to your chances), they are shown their ‘current position’ in the virtual line. You kick off at “waitlist”, with a bar that goes to “priority”. You can boost yourself by doing a number of things – watching the “Look What You Made Me Do” video gives you “medium boost”, as does snapping a photo of Taylor Swift-branded UPS tricks with a particular hashtag to your own social media accounts (also known as giving out free advertising to a corporation). The “greatest boost” comes from spending money, however. Pre-order Reputation? Shop for tour merchandise? Those both come with “high boost”

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Consequence of Sound called it a “controversial pay-for-play ticketing system”, while Engadget talked about how fans could “feed the Taylor Swift hype machine” for a better chance at tickets. Mashable went the harshest, refering to how “Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster scam is why she’s capitalism’s favorite pop star.”

It should be noted that none of these actions promoting UPS, joining Swift’s email list, granting her or Ticketmaster personal data for future marketing purposes, or even buying merchandise, guarantee anything. Even if you get a presale link, you could find nothing available when you get to the onsale (via the custom link and code texted to your phone during the presale). – Source