Taylor Swift’s Netflix Concert Film Is Already A Major Game-Changer

This morning, with a simple social media post, Taylor Swift announced that not only had her reputation Stadium Tour been filmed for a concert special, but that it would be premiering on Netflix in less than three weeks, at 12:01am on New Year’s Eve, December 31. Oh? OH.

While this is exciting on many levels, number one, who can even wait to watch it, it signals something much bigger, not only for New Year’s Eve and Taylor and Netflix, but the music industry as a whole. When many got word of this news, Taylor fans and otherwise, their first reaction was not so much an, “Oh, that’s fun,” as it is when Netflix announces one of their other billion projects, but more of an, “Oh wow, that’s interesting.” Here are the ways, with the mere announcement of her concert film, that this is already changing the game.

I’m about to turn on my TV for the first time in months. 

This may seem insignificant, and to anyone that is not me, it ultimately is. But I’ve abandoned my 40-inch television over the last nine months or so in favor of my computer for TV shows and movie viewing, and a phone and bluetooth speaker combo for music listening. Upon Taylor’s announcement, my first thought was, “Oh, I’m gonna have to watch this one on my TV!” Not just for the capability to dance around my apartment while it’s on, but also because it looks like something too big to experience on a smaller screen. Will I also want to watch it on my phone on the way to work? Yes, probably, but certainly not before I’ve witnessed it on the big-ish screen. I’m not saying Taylor alone is responsible for viewers adjusting their viewing plans and devices, at least not without a nod towards Alfonso Cuarón’s gorgeous Roma, but the fact that this offering is not just another one to look at on a laptop, does matter.

New Year’s Eve plans are established early. 

While most people reserve those few precious days after Christmas to scramble for New Year’s Eve plans, they’ve been confirmed much earlier this year. As people routinely choose to Netflix and chill (in every sense of the phrase) over socializing face to face in real life, one of the biggest party days of the year could see the effects of this as well. Staying in to watch the concert film with your friends, or alone, and Instagramming about it for proof, just might be the hottest event of the year. Even for those who choose to venture out into the world, there is absolutely no alternative to what they’ll watch as they get all dolled up for that night’s parties.

Netflix is the place for concert films now. 

While HBO and pay-per-view and MTV have been the homes of concert films in the past, Netflix is now the place to go, for artists and viewers. With this weekend’s release of Springsteen on Broadway and now Taylor’s offering, artists will be flocking to the streaming platform to present their latest live shows. It is also likely that these artists racked up HEFTY paychecks for the specials, and who doesn’t want in on that, plus an international audience of millions upon millions?

Of course, Netflix has already changed the game in the comedy industry, paying boatloads of dollars to top acts and exposing new talent with the endless comedy specials the platform produces each year. Getting a Netflix special is now the goal for comedians of all levels. Will the same hold true for musicians?

Netflix could dent the live music industry.

Live music accomplishes what Netflix and chill still quite can’t, and that is a special, one-night-only experience with thousands of other people around you. But Netflix also accomplishes what we dream of all day every day: staying home in our PJs. When Taylor set out on this tour, my interest was piqued. When I found out she was playing the MetLife Stadium, an absolute nightmare of a commute to New Jersey with 82,000 of your closest friends, it was an immediate hard pass. I love her last two albums, I listen to them ALL the time and have so much respect for the songs I won’t even touch them at karaoke. But I have to draw the line somewhere, and that line is the Hudson River. Getting to that stadium and back takes all the fun out of what I’m sure is an incredible live show, but up until this point one that I have only experienced via my friends’ poor-quality Instagram stories. Now you’re telling me I can stay home and get a front row seat without hearing my friend screaming the wrong lyrics over a blurry video of “Gorgeous?” See you at 12:01 am December 31.

Of course I have my favorite artists I would cross the Hudson River and the Nile River to see, but he’s already got a brilliant concert film on Netflix. However, Taylor is a trendsetter in almost every way. What artist WON’T want to have a Netflix concert film at this point? They’ll all be signing up, from the ones begging to be let on the platform to the ones racking up the big bucks to do so. And if that’s the case, crossing rivers will sound even less appealing. Why bother shelling out hundreds of dollars to a Bruno Mars show when that trusty $10.99/month subscription will allow you to see every drop of sweat that falls from his face as he glides across the stage? Why sit in the nosebleeds when you can watch Adele take every breath that fuels that powerful voice? Why leave your house when you can watch John Mayer’s fingertips dance over guitar strings right from your couch?

Bruce Springsteen fans, especially the ones that didn’t get the chance to shell over $800 for a ticket to his Broadway show, have already rejoiced about the option to watch The Boss from home. That doesn’t mean he’ll be playing to empty arenas anytime soon, but having this low-key option available in your home sure is appealing. Of course, just as the stand-ups rely on humans in the audience to provide the reactions that audiences at home will hopefully join in on, musicians will so the same. But could the ultimate goal for performers shift from putting buts in seats at a stadium to putting butts in seats on the sofa?

Will a Taylor Swift concert film on Netflix shut down the entire touring industry? No, of course not. At least not right now. But the bottom line is it’s a big deal that Taylor swift has a concert film from her recently wrapped tour ready to roll out, that she just announced it today, that it will be available to millions of people within days, and that it will live on Netflix forever. All of these facts are major in their own ways, but no matter how casual her social media posts may be, the fact that she told the world that a multi-million dollar product is going to be available to them at no extra cost very, very soon, well that doesn’t just reflect on her reputation, but Netflix’s as well.

Where to stream Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour