Sometimes it seems like Taylor Swift has done everything and been everywhere. She’s a mega-pop star. She’s been in movies and TV shows. She’s always in a feud with someone in the tabloids. She’s on billboards and in magazine ads and online banner ads. Perhaps the only place she hasn’t made her presence felt yet is in the world of apps. And finally, that is about to change.
Swift is entering into a partnership with Glu to create The Swift Life, a social app for her fans to gather and, I dunno, do Taylor Swift stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f24IrRsf-lQ
The app is described as “a new digital entertainment project,” and “a deeply social environment” by Glu CEO Nick Earl. We’re not entirely sure what a deeply social environment entails but it seems to mean that the app will let fans collect and share images, memes, and “Taymojis,” which are exactly what you think they are. The app also promises “exclusive” content, photos, and interaction with Swift herself, though we’ll believe that when we see it.
What’s in it for Swift? Well, Glu is also the company behind celebrity mobile games such as Katy Perry Pop, Britney Spears: American Dream, Nicki Minaj: The Empire, and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. All of which upsell users to buy merchandise, tickets, and more. While it’s likely that the kinds of Taylor Swift fans who will download this app were already in the bag for all that, this gives them a one-stop shop.
Swift ends the promotional video by saying “I think you guys are really gonna like this. I mean, I hope. It would be… it would be preferable if you did.” The intention is of course to be playful and real, showcasing her frail humanity in an attempt to connect with you. The reality is that, yes, it would be preferable if you did download the app, because album sales ain’t what they used to be.
To be fair, it’s still gotta be better than that Jeremy Renner app, right?
[THR]
