The news that Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has recorded the biggest sales week for any album ever is an astonishing milestone in the annals of e-commerce. Swift’s fame ensured that the album would be a hit no matter what, but moving more than 3.5 million units in seven days required high-pressure sales techniques more common to mattress retailers than musicians. The feat testifies to one of the strangest aspects of modern music: the way that popularity has become part of the