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0:11

Wondery Plus Taylor

0:25

Swift's plane lands in Las Vegas around

0:27

noon on February 11, 2024,

0:31

only hours after the end of her sold-out show in

0:33

Tokyo. She steps

0:35

off her jet, smiling. Her red and

0:37

white Kansas City Chiefs jacket slung over

0:39

her shoulder. The

0:42

media had turned her anticipated appearance into

0:44

a nail-biter. Would she make it to

0:46

Vegas on time? But

0:48

thanks to a 17-hour time difference, she

0:50

made the 6,000-mile flight with about three

0:52

and a half hours to spare before

0:55

kickoff. She

0:57

casually heads through the stadium tunnels

0:59

with actress Blake Lively, rapper I

1:01

Spice and her parents walking alongside

1:03

her. She tucks some

1:05

stray hairs into her ponytail as she walks

1:07

down a hallway to her

1:09

suite atop the stadium, happily greeting friends

1:12

and fans along the way. Hey,

1:14

we're gonna win this one, right? Oh, yeah.

1:16

I can't wait for the game to start. Can you

1:18

believe this? This is so exciting. Hey, Taylor,

1:21

is Travis ready for this? This is the big one. Absolutely.

1:24

100%. This is my first football

1:26

game, and honestly, I came for you. That

1:28

is so kind. Taylor's

1:32

eyes scan the field until they land on

1:34

the jersey of number 87, Kansas

1:36

City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelsey.

1:39

She sighs. At

1:42

this moment, before the game starts, the

1:44

action is right here inside her suite.

1:47

People snap photos of Taylor, and they

1:50

ricochet instantly around the world through social

1:52

media. Taylor's every move

1:54

and fashion choice is scrutinized,

1:57

and when you're this big and beloved by

1:59

millions... No detail is too

2:01

small to obsess over. Instagram,

2:04

TikTok, and X light up with

2:06

chatter about her black-cropped corset and

2:08

black jeans, with slits in the

2:10

shape of eyes, rimboo crystals. As

2:14

usual, she wears her meticulously applied

2:16

red lipstick. On

2:19

the field below, the Kansas City Chiefs and

2:21

the San Francisco 49ers practice

2:23

passes and rushes. Despite

2:25

his muscle and heft, Travis moves

2:27

nimbly as he warms up. There's

2:30

been a lot of buzz around Taylor and

2:32

Travis for months. At games,

2:34

she's become a magnet for the cameras. Swifties

2:37

are a flutter about the prospect of new

2:39

love for Taylor, and gamblers

2:41

are laying Vegas odds on a marriage

2:44

proposal. She

2:50

watches as Travis heatedly expresses frustration

2:53

and bumps Chiefs head coach Andy

2:55

Reid. Every so often

2:57

during the game, the camera cuts away from

2:59

the field to Taylor's sweep to catch her

3:02

reactions. And this

3:04

really grates on some Chiefs fans,

3:06

mostly devoted male fans who grouse

3:08

that she's a sideshow, a distraction,

3:10

that she draws the wrong kind

3:13

of spectator. And by that

3:15

they mean girls, teenage girls who don't know

3:17

the game. And

3:19

millions of young women are tuning

3:21

in because of Taylor. To this,

3:24

gruff NFL executives say unapologetically,

3:27

Open the damn door. For

3:30

years, the NFL has tried and

3:32

failed to draw female fans. And

3:34

then this insanely successful influencer shows

3:37

up and does it for them,

3:39

effortlessly. Swifties

3:41

are in it for the love story, and

3:43

right now, there's no bigger love story on

3:46

the planet than Travis and Taylor. They

3:49

are what passes for American royalty. That

3:53

was healthy, putting it down for the first

3:55

down. What a fourth and two. And

3:58

it looks right always. be

4:00

tuning in for the love story, but a

4:02

lot of them are staying for the football.

4:05

And that suits the fathers of these

4:07

young teenage girls just fine. For

4:10

many of them, they're connecting with their daughters

4:12

over football for the first time. As

4:16

tender and misty as these moments

4:18

might be, NFL executives have a

4:21

clear-eyed take on what this Taylor

4:23

NFL monster mashup means

4:25

for the league. Research

4:27

by the Apex Marketing Group says it's added

4:30

about $330 million in marketing value

4:33

to the Chiefs and the league. Viewership

4:36

is soaring, and many of the

4:38

hugely expensive Super Bowl ads are

4:41

aimed squarely at women. Taylor's

4:44

Instagram following of more than 270 million

4:47

hardcore Swifties is nearly 10

4:50

times the NFL's 28.4 million. And

4:54

those who cross Taylor quickly learn

4:56

the Swifties are more than just

4:58

fans. They're a force

5:00

to be reckoned with. Travis

5:05

finishes the game with a key catch

5:07

in overtime that advances Kansas City to

5:09

the three-yard line, just one play. Before

5:13

the sudden death touchdown, it gives the Chiefs a 25-22

5:15

victory over the San Francisco 49ers

5:20

and their third Super Bowl championship.

5:22

In just five years. As

5:26

the players exultantly hug each other, Taylor

5:29

walks onto the field and past exuberant

5:31

fans and players and straight into the

5:33

arms of Travis. To

5:35

the uninitiated, it might

5:38

almost seem too perfect, too

5:40

choreographed, too Hollywood. But

5:43

then she braces his face with her hands and

5:46

they exchange a very real victory kiss.

5:54

To some, it seems like Taylor

5:56

has it all. The fame,

5:58

the money, the fans. and the

6:00

guy. But not

6:02

so long ago she had

6:05

to fight like hell just to get the

6:07

respect of the music industry and ownership of

6:09

the song she felt were rightfully hers. It

6:13

was an ugly battle and one

6:15

impossible to ignore. An

6:17

epic battle that began with a figure then

6:20

little known outside the music industry. A

6:23

certain scooter brawn.

6:38

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From Wondery, I'm David Brown and this

7:57

is Business Wars. Taylor

8:22

Swift is one of the biggest pop stars

8:24

of the century. As being

8:27

discovered by Scott Borchetta as a teenager,

8:29

Swift has grown to become the biggest

8:31

selling artist of her generation. She

8:33

has sold more than 200 million albums

8:36

worldwide and has a net worth of

8:38

more than a billion dollars. Scooter

8:41

Braun is the top music manager in the

8:43

world and one of a very

8:45

few to become a celebrity in his own

8:47

right. Taylor Swift

8:50

and Scooter Braun's feud is

8:52

a proxy for the furious battles over

8:55

ownership happening all across the music business

8:57

right now, from streaming

8:59

to the rise of music catalogs. The

9:03

battle is being waged mostly in boardrooms,

9:06

but Swift also enlists her forces

9:08

from social media. Not

9:11

only is this a fight between the powerful

9:13

pop star and manager for a 300 million

9:15

dollar catalog, it's

9:18

a fight that could reshuffle the

9:20

entire business model of the music industry.

9:23

The powerful forces are

9:26

picking sides. This

9:29

is episode one on

9:31

the outside. November

9:36

2004, Nashville. A

9:40

young Taylor Swift tucks her blonde curly hair

9:42

behind her ears and clears her throat. She's

9:45

only 15, but she looks older than that.

9:48

Her piercing blue eyes are fixed on her

9:50

guitar. This performance

9:52

is the most important of her life so

9:54

far. She needs to get

9:56

it just right. I

10:00

worked real hard on it. Swift

10:04

strums her first chord and begins to

10:06

sing, but she's not in

10:08

a dimly lit nightclub or one of the karaoke

10:11

bars she performed in as a kid. Today,

10:14

she's in one of the offices of Universal

10:16

Music Group. Sitting

10:19

across from her is Scott Borchetta. He's

10:21

a record exec in his early 40s. He's

10:24

had a decent career, but no huge hits.

10:27

Still, it's a big deal

10:29

for Swift to get a meeting with someone at

10:31

Universal. The lyrics

10:34

are honest, confessional, and

10:37

it's surprisingly well written for a

10:39

teenager. Ever

10:41

since she moved a few years ago from

10:43

Pennsylvania to Nashville, Swift has

10:46

been making a name for herself. She

10:48

wants to be a star now.

10:54

Borchetta applauds, and Swift's mom,

10:56

who is also in the meeting, beams at

10:58

her daughter. That was great.

11:00

Just great. Who did you co-write

11:02

that with? Thank you. Oh,

11:06

that one was all me. Borchetta

11:08

raises his eyebrows. He'd assumed

11:10

one of Swift's more experienced collaborators had

11:13

helped her. Great songwriting is

11:15

key for country music success. He's

11:18

intrigued. Wow, that's very

11:20

impressive. And do you play any

11:22

other instruments besides guitar? Yes,

11:25

I play piano, ukulele, and the

11:27

banjo. Borchetta nods.

11:29

Another point for Swift. He

11:32

looks carefully at her. He first

11:34

heard of her when he received her demo. Along

11:36

with the music, the package included a picture

11:39

of Swift modeling in an Abercrombie and Fitch

11:41

catalog. She was holding a guitar

11:43

and wiping a tear. The

11:45

picture projected this all-American image.

11:48

One that could work for country. Yeah,

11:51

Borchetta thinks. She's the

11:53

whole package. He thinks for a

11:56

second. Teenagers aren't stars

11:58

in country music, let alone teenagers.

12:00

girls. Most of the listeners are much

12:02

older than a lot of them are men. But

12:05

Swift looks older than she is, so

12:08

he might be able to pass her off as a

12:10

20-something. Plus, she's

12:13

a great songwriter. It's

12:15

a risk from a marketing perspective, but

12:18

he loves her music. He

12:20

thinks she could be a

12:23

star. Here's what I want

12:25

to do. I want to sign

12:27

you as a solo artist, not just a

12:29

songwriter. Swift clasps her

12:31

hands together. A grin spreads across

12:33

her cheeks. This is

12:35

exactly what she's been hoping for.

12:38

But Porchetta's not done. But

12:41

I don't want you to sign to Universal. I

12:43

want you to sign to my own label. I

12:45

want to put the music back in the

12:47

music business. Swift looks at

12:50

her mom excitedly. They're both thrilled.

12:52

They can hardly believe this is happening.

12:56

Oh, that sounds amazing. So

12:58

what do we do now? Well, I haven't

13:00

got the label set up yet. I'll

13:03

reach out to you when I do. Over

13:07

the next few days, Swift weighs

13:09

her options. Even

13:12

though she's only a teen, she's got a clear

13:14

idea of what she wants from her career. She

13:17

already has a development deal with a major

13:19

label, but they want to wait until

13:21

she's 18 to break her as a solo artist.

13:24

Porchetta wants to launch her career

13:26

right away. So

13:29

she does what any teenage girl would

13:31

do when facing a monumental decision. She

13:34

writes about it in her journal. This

13:37

last week was crazy. So

13:40

top of the record doesn't think I'm

13:42

ready, but there's Scott Porchetta. And

13:44

he's so passionate about the project. I

13:47

think that's the way we're going to go. I

13:49

want to surround myself with passionate people. She

13:53

calls Porchetta. Hi Scott,

13:55

Taylor. I just want you to know I've

13:57

made up my mind and I'm waiting for you. She

14:00

wiggles out of her old contract

14:02

and Borchetta officially launches his own

14:04

label, Big Machine. 2005,

14:14

the new Big Machine office

14:16

is on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. Swift

14:19

looks around her. The offices are

14:22

pretty grungy. But it doesn't

14:24

matter. Swift figures it's only

14:26

up from here. Borchetta

14:29

walks in holding some paper. Alright,

14:32

here's the final contract. As

14:34

you can see, we've got a six album deal.

14:38

Swift looks at her parents. This

14:40

is her dream come true.

14:43

Her mom gives her an encouraging smile. Her

14:45

dad leans over to read the fine print in

14:48

the contract. He's a successful

14:50

stockbroker, but he doesn't really know anything

14:52

about the music business. And

14:54

this bit here, what does this mean? So

14:58

this basically says that Taylor will own her

15:00

publishing rights and Big Machine

15:02

will own the master recordings. Pretty standard stuff

15:05

for a recording contract. Swift's

15:07

dad nods. Borchetta turns

15:09

to Taylor. We're so excited

15:12

to partner with you, Taylor. I promise

15:14

you, my utmost loyalty. We're

15:16

in this together and we're going to

15:18

make you a star. Thank you

15:20

so much, Scott. I'm so excited to be at

15:22

a label that cares about the music as much

15:24

as I do. Swift beams

15:26

up at her dad. Swift's

15:29

dad might be a novice in this industry,

15:31

but he's decided to invest in Borchetta's label

15:33

as a show of support for his daughter.

15:36

Anything for his little girl. I

15:39

see the terms we agreed on for my investment. $130,000 for

15:41

3%. Exactly.

15:45

It's right there. So,

15:48

are we good to go? We're good to

15:50

go. Taylor? Swift

15:52

lifts up the pen. Let's

15:55

do it. It's

15:57

the happiest moment of Swift's life. How

16:00

could she know it would also

16:03

one day be the source of

16:05

so much pain and humiliation? Back

16:10

in the 90s, Prince famously started

16:13

writing slave on his face to

16:15

protest his label owning his masters.

16:18

He once said, if you don't own your

16:20

masters, they own you. As

16:23

part of his epic battle with his

16:25

label, he changed his name to a

16:27

symbol in protest. Prince

16:29

was just one of the artists to demand the

16:31

rights to own their work. But

16:34

despite the uproar, it was

16:36

still standard practice for labels to

16:38

own masters. Labels

16:41

insist that owning masters is a key

16:43

part of their business model. They

16:45

take a big risk by fronting money to develop

16:47

a new artist that may never make it. The

16:51

master recordings are insurance on that

16:53

risk. If the label

16:55

loses money on one artist, they can make

16:57

it up with a big stars masters, which

16:59

they can license to TV shows,

17:01

films or commercials. In

17:04

exchange for giving up rights to the masters, the

17:07

label gives the artist an advance. Those

17:10

advances pay for studio times, promotion

17:12

and any other costs associated with

17:14

making the record. That's

17:16

the kind of money most artists starting

17:19

out just don't have. 2005

17:31

Quad Studios in Nashville. Swift

17:34

stands inside the insulated vocal booth. She

17:36

leans into a large

17:38

vocal mic in a pop filter. Huge

17:40

headphones cover her ears. She

17:43

looks through the studio glass to the man sitting

17:45

at the recording control panel. It's

17:47

Nathan Chapman, a red haired

17:50

country songwriter and producer. Swift's

17:52

nervous, but Chapman puts her at ease.

17:55

All right, Taylor, it's sounding great. Let's take this from

17:57

the pickup to the chorus. conscious

18:00

time like you're both angry and sad. You

18:02

know what I'm saying? Gotcha. Ready

18:04

when you are. Chapman

18:06

begins recording. Swift

18:08

takes a deep breath. Borschetta is in

18:10

the back of the booth watching. Now

18:17

this song is going to become her

18:19

first single, Tim McGraw. It's

18:22

about her next boyfriend in

18:24

it. Swift reminisces about the good times they

18:26

shared. One of those was

18:28

dancing to Tim McGraw, hence the

18:31

chorus of this new song. Swift

18:33

sings it with a mix of fondness and

18:36

longing in her voice, a

18:38

perfect cocktail of nostalgia for loves

18:40

gone by. Her

18:42

silky smooth harmonies are classic country,

18:45

as is the simple acoustic guitar. She

18:48

even has a little twang in her voice. Swift

18:52

finishes her take. Borschetta

18:54

brushes past Chapman and hops on the mic in

18:56

the booth. Taylor, that's great. Really

18:58

great. This is the debut single right here.

19:01

I know you want to call it when

19:03

you think Tim McGraw, but I

19:05

think let's just go with Tim McGraw. It's catchier for

19:07

radio. Sure Scott, whatever you think

19:09

is best. It's

19:13

a stroke of genius on his part. Radio

19:15

is critical for country music success.

19:19

By name checking a country superstar, Borschetta

19:21

is hoping that people will hear the song and

19:24

ask, who is this new

19:26

artist with a song called Tim McGraw? And

19:29

Borschetta has another trick up his sleeve to

19:32

help Taylor break through to a country audience.

19:39

2006, nighttime on Nashville's infamous music

19:41

row, the town's music industry hub

19:43

of labels and venues on a

19:45

few square blocks. Taylor

19:48

Swift is on an outdoor set for her first

19:50

big TV feature. It's

19:52

with GAC family, a country focused

19:54

cable network. A

19:57

makeup artist applies a final dusting of powder

19:59

to her cheeks. Neon

20:01

lights and billboards eliminate the dark

20:03

sky in the background. Her

20:05

blonde curls blow in the breeze. Because

20:08

getting a record deal means being

20:10

able to do what I want to do. From

20:13

the director's monitor, Swift looks more

20:15

like Dolly Parton than a pop

20:17

princess. She's got long blonde curls

20:19

and rosy cheeks. She

20:22

speaks with a surprisingly persuasive

20:24

southern twang. On screen,

20:26

there's an intensity in her eyes that

20:28

belies her age. A

20:30

lot of her image is makeup and stagecraft.

20:33

But one thing is absolutely

20:35

genuine and clear. Her

20:38

ambition. The best part about

20:40

getting a record deal was that it wasn't

20:43

just a record deal. It was the right

20:45

deal for this. Porchetta

20:47

wants to sell Swift's story as an

20:49

authentic country artist by doing

20:51

this in Nashville. I love

20:53

the recording process because I love singing.

20:56

And it really gives me a chance to hone in

20:58

on every single word. Make it count, make it perfect.

21:01

And I'm a perfectionist. The

21:04

truth is, Swift's career began

21:06

far from Nashville. She

21:09

grew up on a Christmas tree farm in

21:11

Pennsylvania. Still, she adored

21:13

the female country artist she heard

21:15

as a kid. The first CD

21:17

she bought was by Leanne Rimes.

21:20

She devoured the work of Shania Twain

21:22

and Fate Hill. Her

21:24

talent led her to musical theater and

21:27

then karaoke. Soon,

21:32

she was singing the Nasu record out to

21:34

radio stations. She's ready

21:37

to launch her debut album with all the

21:39

hopes and dreams that go with that. Some

21:43

debut albums do sail. But

21:45

most often, they end

21:47

up sinking straight to the

21:50

bottom. played

22:00

by HBO's industries, Myhala Harold, a brilliant

22:03

scholarship student who has to quickly adapt

22:05

to her newfound eat or be eaten

22:07

world. Eva's ambitions take hold and her

22:10

small town values break in hopes of

22:12

becoming the first scholarship student to make

22:14

the list. Bishop Gray's all coveted academic

22:17

top 10, curated by the

22:19

headmaster himself. But after realizing she has

22:21

no chance at the list on her

22:23

own, she reluctantly accepts an invitation to

22:25

a secret underground society that pulls the

22:28

strings on campus life and academic success.

22:31

If she bends to their will, she'll have

22:33

everything she's ever dreamed of, but at what

22:35

cost? Academy takes you into

22:37

the world of a cutthroat private school

22:40

where power, money, and sex collide

22:42

in a game of life and death.

22:44

Binge all 10 episodes of Academy early

22:46

and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery

22:49

Plus in the Wondery app or

22:51

on Apple Podcast. Okay,

22:56

so if you had a time machine, how far in time would

22:59

you need to go back to be a

23:01

dominant basketball player of that year? I

23:04

need to go to when Bob Coosey was playing. Back

23:06

in the plumber game. 27 year

23:08

old Shay would give Bob Coosey the

23:10

business. He's not guarding me. Hi, I'm

23:12

Jason Esepzion. And I'm Shay Serrano, and

23:14

we are back. We have a new

23:16

podcast from Wondery. It's called Six Trophies.

23:19

And it's the best. Each week, Shay

23:21

and I are combing through all of

23:23

the NBA storylines, finding the best, most

23:25

interesting, most compelling ones, and then handing

23:27

out six pop culture themed trophies for six basketball

23:29

and related activities. Trophies like the Dominic Toretto, I

23:32

Live My Life, a Quarter Mile at a Time

23:34

trophy, which is given to someone who made a

23:36

short term decision with no regard for future consequence.

23:38

Or the Christopher Nolan Tenet trophy, which is given

23:40

to someone who did something that we didn't understand.

23:43

Catalina Wine Mixer trophy. Ooh, the Lauren Hill, you

23:45

might win some, but you just lost one trophy.

23:47

Follow Six Trophies on the Wondery app or wherever

23:49

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23:51

ad free right now by joining Wondery+.

24:07

Late 2006, Taylor

24:09

Swift stands in front of a studio

24:12

microphone at a drab, gray-walled radio station.

24:15

Hey, I'm Taylor Swift and you're listening to the

24:17

Morning Dry with Mike and Joanna. Q104,

24:19

your number one for country. Swift

24:22

takes the headphones off her head and turns

24:24

to the host. Was that good? That

24:27

was perfect. Thank you. You'll be hearing

24:29

that a lot on the radio. Oh, I

24:31

can't wait. Just so long as you play my song.

24:35

You betcha. Swift's mother,

24:37

Andrea, steps in. Taylor, honey,

24:39

it's time for us to get going. Sure,

24:41

mom. They walk

24:44

out of the studio and head for the car. Swift

24:47

and Andrea drive to the next stop. Despite

24:51

Swift's radio offensive to promote

24:53

her self-titled debut album, it

24:56

only sells 39,000 copies in its first week. But

25:00

Swift isn't giving up. She's

25:02

doubling down. She

25:04

throws all her energy into promoting the

25:07

record to boost sales. Time

25:09

is at a premium, so she arranges to attend

25:11

high school remotely. Her

25:13

days are packed with radio stations,

25:16

interviews, and performances in shopping malls.

25:20

When she's not promoting her record in person, she

25:22

connects with her fans through a new

25:24

website called MySpace. She

25:27

gets about 600 emails a day. She

25:30

tries to answer every one with

25:33

messages like this. OMG,

25:35

thank you so much. I'm

25:38

so excited for you to hear. The album comes

25:40

out in October. It's

25:43

hard work, but Swift's determined to

25:45

make herself a success. And

25:47

in time, her loyal followers,

25:50

lovingly cultivated by Swift, will

25:52

become a force for her. And

25:55

her family is all in. They

25:57

moved south so she could be a country music artist.

26:01

They don't pressure her. She does that herself.

26:04

She and her mom are on the road

26:06

a lot, going from one radio station to

26:09

the next. She

26:11

feels like she has to make this

26:13

work. Alright, we're at

26:15

the next station. It's been fun. A

26:19

year after Swift's first album is released, it

26:22

eventually reaches number 5 on

26:24

the Billboard 200. It's

26:26

been a slow burn, but

26:28

Swift's career is about

26:31

to take off like wildfire. Before

26:34

long, the album has sold

26:36

millions of copies. It's

26:40

a great success for Swift and

26:43

Borchetta. New labels

26:45

usually struggle, but Swift's success

26:47

establishes Big Machine and Borchetta

26:50

as a team a force to be reckoned with.

26:54

It seems smooth sailing. Over

26:57

the horizon, however, is a

26:59

powerful force. The

27:01

man who will one day try

27:03

to claim Taylor Swift's entire empire,

27:06

whether she likes it or

27:09

not. Early

27:16

2007, Atlanta, Georgia. A twenty-something

27:19

with dark hair and a baseball cap

27:21

is sitting in front of his computer

27:23

watching YouTube videos. Scooter

27:26

Braun is a former club promoter who

27:28

works at Jermaine Dupree's label, So So

27:30

Def. He's doing research

27:32

for an artist on the label when

27:35

a related video pops up that catches his

27:37

eye. It's

27:39

a young kid wearing a white shirt and black

27:41

tie. He's performing

27:43

in a church singing competition. Braun

27:53

leans closer. of

28:00

a neo-hit, but it's the

28:02

kid's vocal style that catches Braun's ear.

28:05

He sings with such emotion

28:08

and natural ease. Braun

28:11

is instantly amazed. He

28:13

needs to know more about this kid. There's

28:16

talent there, and Braun

28:18

wants in. So

28:20

he gets in touch with this young kid. His

28:23

name? Justin Bieber.

28:27

Braun even flies Bieber and his mom

28:29

out to Atlanta. Braun

28:31

decides to become his manager. And

28:34

like Swift, Bieber will

28:36

soon become a teen sensation too,

28:39

and their paths will meet in

28:42

the most unlikely of circumstances. November

28:52

2008, a Walmart in

28:54

Hendersonville, Tennessee. It's

28:56

11.59 p.m., and Taylor Swift is

29:00

wrapped up in a scarf and winter coat. She's

29:03

here to make a late-night run, not

29:05

for milk or groceries, for something

29:08

a little more exciting. She

29:11

walks past the t-shirts and underwear,

29:13

past the cleaning supplies and Thanksgiving

29:15

cotchkes. Scott Borchetta

29:17

strides right beside her. They

29:20

round the corner to the electronics department, and

29:23

there she

29:25

is greeted by hundreds

29:27

of fans. Swift

29:30

had hinted on Myspace that she'd be in this

29:32

Walmart, and her loyal fans

29:34

showed up. They're clutching

29:36

copies of Swift's new CD, Fearless. The

29:39

cover is her face in profile, with

29:42

her blonde hair waving out like a halo around

29:48

her. Swift goes from

29:51

fan to fan, hugging the smiling teenagers.

29:54

Most of them are girls, some of them chaperoned

29:56

by parents. They flock to

29:58

her confessional songs about teenage heartbreak.

30:01

It helps that Swift's lyrics don't have any cursing

30:03

in them, so parents are happy

30:05

for their kids to listen to Swift. Thank

30:08

you so much for being here for me

30:10

and for buying my second CD. I love

30:13

you. Fearless

30:17

is a huge hit. Thanks

30:19

in part to the hit single Love Story,

30:21

the album sells nearly 600,000 copies

30:26

in its first week. Way

30:28

more than her first record. Swift

30:31

has built a loyal following through

30:33

MySpace, radio interviews and in-person shows,

30:36

and now it's paying off. She's

30:39

a full-on country star. She's

30:42

already selling out arenas. But outside

30:45

of teenage girls and country music fans,

30:48

a lot of people still don't know Swift.

30:52

And then, something happens

30:54

that raises her public profile.

31:07

September 2009, Radio City Music Hall

31:09

in New York City. It's

31:12

the MTV Video Music Awards and

31:14

the venue is packed. Swift

31:19

stands on stage in a glittering gown,

31:21

her hair pinned back in a chic

31:23

updo. She's just won

31:25

the award for Best Female Video for

31:27

You Belong With Me. It's

31:30

a huge deal. She's the first country

31:32

artist to win a VMA. She

31:34

clutches the trophy with her right hand and holds

31:37

the microphone in her room. Just

31:49

then, rapper Kanye West jumps on stage

31:51

for a VMA. from

32:00

his seat in the front row. His

32:02

black leather t-shirt is open to

32:04

the navel. He's wearing giant aviator

32:06

sunglasses. He grabs the mic from

32:08

Squibb. Yo, Taylor, I'm

32:12

really happy for you. I'm let you finish. Squibb

32:14

tucks her hair behind her ear. She doesn't know

32:16

where this is going. Maybe West

32:18

is going to make a special presentation to

32:20

honor her for being the first country artist

32:22

to win. But then

32:25

West points into the crowd and keeps

32:27

going. Well, Beyonce had one

32:29

of the best videos of all time. Now

32:33

it's Beyonce's turn to look confused.

32:36

She was nominated in the same category as

32:38

Swift. Swift is still

32:40

standing on stage. A

32:42

bewildered expression covers Swift's face.

32:45

One of the best videos of all time. For

32:49

that, he shrugs and hands the

32:51

mic back to Swift. Swift's

32:53

mouth is open in shock. The

32:56

crowd starts booing. Any

32:58

trace of a smile has vanished from Swift's

33:00

face. MTV cuts to

33:02

commercial. The 9 million

33:04

people watching at home are

33:07

stunned. Swift

33:10

is horrified. She

33:12

thinks the crowd thinks she doesn't deserve

33:14

the award. She's crushed. She

33:18

goes backstage and cries. Then

33:20

she pulls herself together. She

33:23

has to perform in five minutes. She

33:26

changes out of her dress, pulls her hair down,

33:28

and runs to begin her song. But

33:32

Swift is a consummate professional. Her

33:35

performance goes down without a hitch. I love

33:37

you. I love

33:40

you. I love you.

33:43

And even though West later

33:46

apologizes, the fiasco makes major

33:48

news. Even President Obama

33:50

remarks on the incident calling West

33:53

a jackass. For

33:56

Swift, it's a pivotal moment

33:58

in her career. Thanks

34:00

to West's interruption, more people than ever

34:02

know who Taylor Swift is. But

34:05

she starts to think maybe she can go

34:07

even bigger. And that

34:09

means leaving country behind. To

34:12

go mainstream. And

34:14

she'll gamble her fan base to

34:16

do it. I'm

34:26

wondering, this is Black History for real. I'm

34:29

the Chuck Dandy. And I'm Curtis Lee.

34:31

What do most people think about

34:33

when they hear the words Black

34:35

History? Well, in

34:38

that case, Rosa Parks,

34:40

Reconstruction, MLK, February Black

34:42

History Month. Exactly, exactly.

34:44

There are so many stories of

34:47

Black History that we just are

34:49

not really talking about or thinking

34:51

about, especially outside of February. And

34:53

we are about to flip the script on

34:55

all of that. Follow Black History for Real

34:57

on the Wondery app or wherever you get

35:00

your podcasts. Listen everywhere on February 5th or

35:02

you can listen early and ad free on

35:04

Wondery Plus starting January 29th. Join

35:06

Wondery Plus on the Wondery app or on

35:08

Apple Podcasts. June

35:34

2010, Foxborough, Massachusetts.

35:37

Swift is backstage in her dressing room preparing for

35:39

the show. She's been touring

35:42

constantly, selling out arenas. By now,

35:44

Swift is a bona fide star.

35:49

It's a 16-year-old from Canada with long

35:51

hair that swoops across his forehead. Teenage

35:54

girls love him and he's her

35:56

opening act. Hey, Taylor,

35:58

good to see you again. Justin, thank

36:01

you so much for playing. It's

36:04

Justin Bieber, the guy Braun spotted

36:06

singing in the church competition. Earlier

36:09

this year he released a hit song, Baby. He's

36:12

a pure pop act. She's been

36:14

recording a new pop country album titled Speak

36:17

Now. She's crossing over

36:19

into pop and that's part of why

36:21

she wanted Bieber to tour with her. Taylor

36:24

I want you to say what's up to my manager Scooter.

36:28

Mr. Braun extends a hand to Taylor Swift.

36:31

He's got a solid build and square

36:33

jaw with a short dark beard. Hey

36:36

Taylor, nice to meet you. Just

36:38

then a familiar face pops his head around the

36:40

door. Scotty! It's

36:44

Borschetta. Swift jumps up

36:46

and gives him a huge hug. Borschetta

36:48

turns to Braun. Scooter, I heard

36:50

a lot about you. I'm Scott. A

36:53

pleasure. While

36:55

Bieber and Swift catch up, Braun

36:58

and Borschetta start talking. In

37:00

Braun, Borschetta sees a younger version

37:03

of himself. Someone

37:05

who's ambitious, who wants to make it big.

37:08

Braun isn't even 30 but he's already

37:10

more than just a manager. He

37:13

just started a venture capital fund to invest

37:15

in startups. Braun is

37:18

a businessman and this meeting

37:20

is going to be the beginning of

37:22

a very important relationship with Borschetta. One

37:25

that puts Swift on

37:27

war footing. October

37:34

2010. Taylor

37:36

Swift has just released her third album and it's

37:38

a hit. Even

37:40

as overall CD sales decline, Swift

37:42

sells more than 20 million

37:45

albums in five years. More

37:47

than any other musician in that

37:49

period. She's making 45 million

37:52

dollars a year by the time she's

37:54

old enough to dream. But

37:57

when it comes time to work in the fourth album. She's

38:00

not content to settle. Swift

38:02

starts to think, maybe she

38:04

can go even more pop, not

38:07

just pop country. It's

38:09

time for her to grow as an artist. And

38:12

she also wants to reach an even

38:14

bigger audience. She knows

38:17

her country music fans are loyal. They'll

38:20

follow her into a new genre. September

38:28

2011, a recording studio

38:31

in Nashville. Worsheta is sitting

38:33

with Swift and her longtime collaborator, Nathan

38:35

Chapman. Worsheta is here to

38:38

listen to a new song Swift and Chapman have written.

38:41

Worsheta leans against the sound board and

38:43

nods along. Swift and

38:45

Chapman watch nervously. They

38:47

haven't shown it to anybody else yet. The

38:51

song ends. Worsheta raises his

38:53

head to speak. The

38:56

song is brilliant, great melody.

38:59

But the way it's recorded, the

39:01

production just doesn't match it. What

39:04

do you mean? It needs more

39:06

of a pop sound. Swift

39:08

nods. She knows he's right. She

39:11

trusts Worsheta's ear. Let's

39:14

try again. Chapman

39:16

and Swift get back to work. A

39:19

few days later, Swift plays it

39:21

for Worsheta again. But

39:23

the results are even worse. Swift

39:27

exhales. This just isn't working.

39:30

She needs a pop sound. She's

39:33

written so many hits with Chapman, but he's

39:35

a country guy. So

39:37

she turns to Worsheta. What

39:40

she's about to ask pains her.

39:43

Its consequences will effectively end

39:45

her professional relationship with Chapman,

39:48

who has stood by her from the jump. Hey,

39:51

Scott. Would you

39:53

call Max? Max Martin,

39:56

the huge Swedish pop producer behind hits

39:58

by Britney Spears and Kate Perry.

40:01

Bullshit. A picks up the phone and call Sweden. But.

40:05

This will be the last time Scott

40:07

Boras shed. It is useful to swift.

40:11

Because. As she moves into the

40:13

pot mainstream. She. Gets

40:15

even bigger. When. She

40:17

was young trying to get her

40:19

career off the ground. She needed

40:21

more shadow and his country connections.

40:23

Now that's not as important, Swift

40:26

is ready to move into a

40:28

new genre and onto the next

40:30

level. And that's going to be

40:32

a major problem for Scott. On

40:36

the next episode of Business Works

40:39

as Swift spreads her wings and

40:41

of path she butt heads with

40:43

Morshed A broad Works is magic

40:46

to keep Fevers career afloat and

40:48

Swift takes hers into or own.

40:57

From one the first episode Taylor

40:59

Swift versus the World for Mrs.

41:03

A quick note about recreations you've

41:05

been hearing in most cases we

41:07

can't know exactly what was sad

41:09

though seem to dramatizations, but they're

41:11

based on historical research. For more

41:13

on Taylor Swift, make sure to

41:15

check out the Miss Americana documentary.

41:17

We also recommend reading Taylor Swift

41:19

the whole Story by Chaz. New

41:21

Key Burdens I'm Your Host David

41:23

Brown Natalie Rubber Band rotisserie voice

41:25

echoing mature lie recently voice. And Mode

41:28

I Order a Liar and and and Who

41:30

Sell Sell Edited and produced by Low is

41:32

our senior at A Sound Design by Kyle.

41:34

Edited and produced by the long run throughs

41:37

day underlined by our elected producers are as

41:39

any Lower My Slave Schilling More or executive

41:41

producers or Ginny Lower, Beckman and Marshall Live

41:43

for Wondering. over

42:00

so far you're not losing the

42:02

only thing you losing is my patience

42:05

quickly I see that queen of

42:07

the court world is back I didn't

42:09

do anything you wouldn't know the

42:11

truth if it came up and slapped

42:13

you in the face I

42:15

see it's not intimidated by anything yes

42:31

you're on you marry his

42:34

brother brother

42:36

that's not him yes ma'am I would make

42:38

a beeline for the door the

42:42

Emmy Award-winning series returns how did I

42:44

know that I have crystal ball in

42:46

my head it's an all-new season it's

42:48

dreaming you can say anything Judy

42:52

justice only on freebie