At Berkeley Haas, Students Are Studying the Career of Taylor Swift

Forget record-breaking ticket sales or golden albums. Taylor Swift is receiving her biggest honor yet. The University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School is offering a class on the business of Taylor Swift.

Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version is a 13-week class that covers Taylor Swift’s prolific success as a songwriter, businesswoman, and creative influence. Through lyricism, branding, and craft, the Haas course explores how art and authenticity create enduring value and a viable enterprise.

Miaad Madeline Bushala, a Class of 2025 Haas student, says that while she doesn’t consider herself a “Swiftie,” she was drawn to the class because of Taylor Swift’s evolution as a business leader who continues to drive the music industry.

“Particularly as a business student, Taylor’s story has been so fascinating to me. At the end of the day, her songs, albums, merchandise, tours, etc. are all products, and for a product to have a life of almost 20 years not only says something about Taylor’s brilliance as an artist, but as a businesswoman,” Bushala says. “With that, I am interested in unraveling all those pieces about her and seeing what made her the success that she’s become.”

Together with Crystal Haryanto, another Class of 2023 Haas student, Bushala helped shape the class syllabus for the Taylor Swift course, which is officially in its fourth week.

“We wanted students to view Taylor as an entrepreneur who differentiates herself within a market, manages customer acquisition and sustains customer loyalty, and impacts multiple economies,” Bushala says. “We wanted them to think about how, as future entrepreneurs and business leaders, to make their customers their biggest fans, like Taylor has done.”

A DEEP DIVE INTO EVERYTHING TAYLOR

A big part of the Taylor Swift course is studying how Taylor has evolved her style throughout her career and stayed relevant to the masses.

“While style was a more subtle signal that built up over time, I’ve also enjoyed speaking about her direct power moves,” Bushala says. “Last night, for instance, we discussed how Taylor negotiated her contract with AMC Theatres and took hold of the reins for the Eras Tour film project. She financed the film and received 57% of the movie profits. To me, that was her learning from the mistake she made when she was younger, when she signed over the masters to her music.”

LEARNING LEADERSHIP FROM TAYLOR

Through the course, students also analyze the leadership of Taylor Swift and study how she’s utilized her power to uplift others.

“Taylor shows us how to balance a good heart with strategic design,” Bushala says. “We bring it up in class—the bonuses that she gives her team and the ways that she gives back to the community. Philanthropy happens to also be a tax write off for her, but that isn’t a bad thing. I think people know when a brand is doing something that feels inauthentic, and that isn’t the case with Taylor.”

Sources: Berkeley Haas, Taylor Swift DeCal

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