The Economist’s Money Talks podcast explores Taylor Swift’s music brand

Money Talks, the podcast from The Economist, is releasing two special episodes exploring how Taylor Swift built the biggest brand in music.

The superstar is reportedly worth $1.3bn. In the music industry, amassing that kind of fortune requires more than talent alone. It requires a shrewd business sense and an ability to be ruthless.

In the first of two special episodes, Money Talks: Taylor’s Version, hosts Alice Fulwood, Tom Lee-Devlin and Mike Bird look at the building of Swift’s music brand.

Guests featured in the episode are Bob Reeves, a manager who was at one of Swift’s first gigs; Clay Myers, former Warner Music Group exec who helped facilitate one of Swift’s early hits; and Bill Werde, former editorial director of Billboard magazine, current director of the Bandier Program at Syracuse University and author of the “Full Rate No Cap” newsletter.

The first episode of Money Talks: Taylor’s Version is available now wherever you get your podcasts.