“I love Taylor Swift with my whole heart but … Taycapitalism needs to stop[.]”

It ain’t cheap being a Taylor Swift fan. But for hardcore Swifties, it’s more than worth it:

$253.56: Average price last year for a direct sale ticket for one of Swift’s Era Tour shows, if you were lucky or fast enough to get one.
$3,801: Average price for a resale ticket for one of Swift’s Era Tour shows last year.
$19.89: Suggested price simply to rent Swift’s Eras Tour Movie on demand.
Swift is a talented writer and entertainer, and she puts on an amazing show. But those aren’t really the ultimate reasons why fans are willing to pay so much.

Instead, it’s about the deep emotional connection she’s forged with her fans. It’s about her music, of course, but to paraphrase the poet Maya Angelou, it’s even more about the way she makes them feel.

And when people are able to forge that kind of emotional connection intentionally we have a name for the skill: emotional intelligence. It’s especially impressive in business, when a person or an entity can inspire emotional reactions in thousands or even millions of people.

This week, we’ve had a new chance to watch it in real time, after Swift (or else her team, I suppose, but I’m going to assume there’s no way this happens without her approval) rolled out the very smart release plans for four different versions of her new “The Tortured Poets Department” album, each with a different bonus track, and a wide range of price points.