Taylor Swift fans are you ...Ready For It? Because your new dream job may have just dropped.
US publisher Gannett is hiring a dedicated Taylor Swift reporter for mastheads USA Today and The Tennessean. According to its job listing, the company is looking for an "experienced, video-forward journalist to capture the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift".
To score the gig, you'll need to be a journalist with "a voice - but not bias" who can see "both the facts and the fury". The successful candidate must be able to identify why Swift's influence keeps expanding as well as "what her fan base stands for in pop culture".
Near-billionaire Swift and her army of followers
So is this a cushy job or a legitimate field of journalism?
Interest in Swift is ... next level. When her Eras tour went on sale in Australia,.
Her online influence is palpable. On Instagram, Swift boasts 272 million followers. Fans pore over her posts for "easter eggs", because the star is known for leaving secret clues for dedicated fans to unpack and assess the meaning of.
They range from references to 13 - her lucky number - in music videos, to her teasing the announcement of albums with cryptic Instagram posts.
Students at US colleges Stanford and NYU, and Belgium's Ghent University, have been able to take Swift-themed courses on literature, culture, and storytelling.
There's even a Wikipedia page dedicated to the 'Cultural impact of Taylor Swift'.
Swift's current Eras tour has also been . It's a topic rife with debate amongst her fan base, with some questioning Swift's profits, including whether her merchandise is created ethically. But others view her financial status as the natural payoff of her work.
She has re-recorded and re-released her earlier albums to regain control of her own music rights, after her back catalogue became the property of music manager Scooter Braun, when he bought the label that signed Swift when she was 15.
Taylor Swift isn't the only mega-star the publisher hopes to capitalise on. It's also hiring a Beyoncé reporter, who will also be working across USA Today and The Tennessean. While Swift started her singing career in Tennessee, Beyoncé's ties to the state are less apparent - though it is known for its music scene. Its capital Nashville is synonymous with country music.
To score the role, you'll presumably have to prove you are Irreplaceable. Per the job listing, Beyoncé is an "international superstar and icon" whose impact "is felt across generations".
"She has been a force in everything from how the country views race to how women think about their partners," it continues.
Beyoncé is currently on the Renaissance world tour. Credit: Getty Images/Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood
Like Swift, Beyoncé also has a devoted fan collective known as the Beyhive, so the reporter will be expected to "tap into stories" coming from the fanbase. And again, you'll have to be able to travel internationally for the role. Renaissance tour anyone?
Both Swift and Knowles-Carter are in the midst of sell-out global tours. According to US concert data company Pollstar, Swift's Eras Tour will likely pass US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2024.
As for the Renaissance tour, earlier this year, it was reported that lift to Sweden's inflation. She opened her tour in Stockholm this May.
However, any applicants for the roles will have to be based in the US, which may be bad news for any Australian-based superfans.
