The lesson here was clear:if people want something enough,and sense it is in limited supply,they will spend,no matter which way the economic wind is blowing.
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A Taylor-led recovery
How big an impact Swiftonomics has really had on Australia is,however,hard to determine. As Melbourne came down witha severe case of Tayloritis in the days leading up to her first Australian show,Lord Mayor Sally Cappclaimed the city’s economy would get a $1.2 billion boost from those three shows.
An analysis by the National Australia Bank last week was more reserved,claiming spend in metropolitan Melbourne was up 33 per cent ($174 million) on the Swift weekend compared to the prior month. But that month was January,when the city was still on its summer go-slow,so who knows.
KPMG chief economist Brendan Rynne,meanwhile,put the net benefit of the Tay Tay effect in Sydney and Melbourne combinedat just $10 million,primarily because so much of the revenue will ultimately go offshore. And apart from spend by international visitors (about 2 per cent of ticket buyers),all that money was local,and probably would have been spent eventually anyway.
But it’s not just about the dollars
Not everything can be measured in economic terms. Taylor Swift concerts might be industrial in their scale and micromanaged in their details,but they are still cultural events. And the value of culture has to be measured in intangibles as well as dollars.
How good did it feel to walk the streets of Melbourne as it was in the grip of Swift fever a week and a half ago? Very. You didn’t need to be a fan to feel that something special was afoot;there was a joyous energy to the place that is usually reserved only for AFL grand final weekends.
Taylor Swift fans line up for merchandise outside Accor Stadium in Sydney.Credit:Steven Siewert
“More than just the music,Taylor really brings people together – from the friendship bracelet trading,fan chants,Taylor-gating,etcetera,” says fandom expert Kate Pattison. “It’s not often that a whole city[or country] will get around one concert or event in the way that we have over these last few weeks,and it’s nice for people to really feel a part of something.
“When describing Taylor’s shows to people I often use the word ‘joyful’. I think Taylor’s shows have also demonstrated that so many of us are searching for a bit of joy and lightness right now.”
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Because Accor Stadium isn’t just a short stroll from the CBD,there perhaps wasn’t quite the same level of all-pervasive excitement in Sydney. But still,Taylor in Surry Hills,Taylor and Travis at the zoo (twice!),Taylor at dinner all made it feel likeit was the place to be,an extension of the feel-good vibes attributable to the rom-com smashAnyone But You.
Plus,there wasthe centrifugal effect as Taylor seemed to sweep so many others – Katy Perry,Rita Ora,Taika Waititi,Anthony Albanese,even Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus,who was playing next door but still managed to find time to pop backstage – into her orbit. Talk about squad goals.
Why can’t it be like this all the time?
Just like Mussolini,Taylor Swift made the trains run on time. And for free.
OK,she didn’t.That was Transport for NSW,which made travel to the stadium free for anyone with a concert ticket,and piped Swift songs into the carriages over the sound system.
The Tay Tay Express was a runaway hit. AndMelbourne benefited too,with hundreds of extra train services and an extension of the free tram zone to cater to fans getting to and from the shows.
And like so much about the past couple of weeks,it all left people wondering why their city can’t be a bit more like this all the time.