Everyone seems to be a fan of both Taylor Swift and Beyoncé these days.
Recently, Taylor Swift’s concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, broke records as the highest-grossing concert movie in domestic release. It’s no surprise considering her in-person tour is on track to become the most lucrative tour in American history. Plus, there’s the buzz surrounding Travis Kelce and the upcoming release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version). Swift is everywhere, even appearing on Saturday Night Live.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, a superstar in her own right and a notable supporter of Swift, made headlines by announcing that her latest record-breaking shows will be captured in a film called Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 1st. Fans are already eagerly buying tickets to watch this film.
Interestingly, despite the widespread popularity of Swift and Beyoncé, not all Americans consider themselves fans of either artist. According to a recent poll conducted by Yahoo/YouGov, only 23% of Americans claimed to be fans of Swift, and the same percentage declared themselves fans of Beyoncé. Surprisingly, only 12% expressed fandom for both artists.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that 10% of respondents planned to see Swift’s movie, a significant increase from the 4% who had managed to attend her live concert. The numbers for Beyoncé were the same, with 10% of those surveyed intending to watch her film after only 4% had seen her perform live.
Out of the 1,675 U.S. adults surveyed, only 5% planned to watch both concert movies.
However, there is still a substantial number of people who will watch these films, perhaps to relive the excitement of seeing their favorite artists on stage or because movie tickets are more affordable than live concert tickets. Notably, both Swift and Beyoncé financed and produced their own highly successful movies, which means they will earn even greater profits than they would through a studio partnership.
But that’s not an issue for either of them. Swift and Beyoncé are two of the music industry’s biggest stars, credited with driving audiences back to movie theaters in the midst of the pandemic.
They’ve Got the Beat. Why Not?
Both Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are such monumental stars that Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the country, recently sought reporters solely dedicated to covering each artist for USA Today and the Nashville Tennessean. These reporters would examine their significant cultural impact.
Lark-Marie Anton, Chief Communications Officer at Gannett, stated, “Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter are artists and businesswomen whose work holds immense economic and societal significance. As they continue to influence multiple industries and shape a generation, our role at the USA Today Network is to cover newsmakers who impact lives nationwide and provide our audience with the content they desire.”
Although some may think these assignments are insignificant, particularly as newsrooms face significant staff reductions, the job descriptions reveal their true importance. For instance, Beyoncé’s job description highlighted her global superstar status and her impact on various areas of society, from racial perceptions to women’s perspectives on their partners.
However, the opinions of the Yahoo/YouGov poll respondents differed. When asked whether major news organizations hiring reporters to cover Taylor Swift and Beyoncé was a “bad idea,” a “good idea,” or if they were unsure, 40% viewed it as a bad idea. 38% were unsure, while only 22% thought it was a good idea.
Regardless, we can expect to keep reading about these artists and their concert films for years to come.
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The Yahoo Entertainment survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,675 U.S. adults interviewed online from Oct. 12 to 16, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to Nov. 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.7%.
