Public advocacy helps musicians’ fame and fortune, new study finds

Taylor Swift performs during ‘The Eras Tour,’ on Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.& (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) by Chau Minh Nguyen, HEC Montréal and Marcelo Vinhal Nepomuceno, HEC Montréal Musicians often face skepticism from the public when they openly support charitable or social causes. There are often speculations that musicians only do this to serve their own self-interests for reputation or tax purposes. Even established artists cannot avoid the risk of negative publicity. In 2019, Taylor Swift released the song “You Need To Calm Down” supporting the LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). The song contains the lyrics: “Why are you mad? When you could be GLAAD?” This led to a surge in donations to the organization, but some criticized Swift as jumping on the bandwagon to stay relevant. In another example, when Lana Del Rey joined a Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles in 2020 and shared footage of her fellow protesters on Instagram, she was criticized for not blurring their faces, making them potential targets of revenge actions. Singer Justine Skye accused Del Rey of being inauthentic in her actions: “We don’t need your weak ass documentation. If you...