Call for papers – Media & Arts Law Review Special Issue – ‘Taylor Swift: Law, Culture and Power’

Taylor Swift: entertainer, businessperson, cultural phenomenon, wielder of power. Far more than just a successful pop singer, Swift has ascended to a commanding position in the zeitgeist. In her wake comes more than the usual range of legal affairs. Her power moves include sidestepping rights disputes by re-recording her catalogue and counter-suing a defamation plaintiff for sexual assault. She has fought relentless privacy invasions and harassment, including the tracking of her private jet, but questions remain over law’s ability to protect her and her image from deepfakes. Her popularity has led to on-the-fly lawmaking, like bans on ticket scalping, and she has been outspoken on politico-legal issues from voter registration to abortion rights.

This special issue of the Media & Arts Law Review will explore issues of law, culture and power surrounding Taylor Swift, past, present and future. Proposals are welcome on any aspect of the topic, provided there is sufficient connection with law. Submissions will be considered for publication in an edited collection, on which the General Editors will liaise with authors in due course.

Guide to submission for this issue

Send your 300-word proposal to the General Editors:


Timeframe for proposals and submissions:

  • Deadline for proposals: 14 June 2024
  • Deadline for papers: 16 September 2024

Authors should provide an abstract of approximately 100 words with all final submissions.

Forms of submission for this issue

Original research articles: including doctrinal, empirical and conceptual papers. Suggested length: 8,000 to 15,000 words.

Research notes: extensions or replications to previously published research, or short descriptions of research projects that did not provide publishable results but represent valuable information. Suggested length: 3,000 to 5,000 words.

Colloquium: papers along the lines of opinion or op-ed pieces. Suggested length: 3,000 to 5,000 words.

Case notes: Suggested length of 2,000 to 3,000 words.