Ethical or not? Influencer's sale of lyric guide for Taylor Swift's concerts divides netizens

Taylor Swift fans have been handing out fan-made merchandise - from friendship bracelets to ang baos containing fake notes printed with the singer's face - to fellow Swifties at her concerts in Singapore.

All for free. But would you pay for fan-made merchandise, especially when they might be readily available elsewhere?

One influencer's decision to sell lyric guides for Swift's concerts has invited praise and criticism alike from netizens.

Nicole Liel has been publicising the booklet on TikTok and Instagram in multiple posts since the end of February.

In a TikTok video, the 26-year-old shared that she had made the guides for the significant others of Swifties, or those who are new to the singer - like her boyfriend, whom she said doesn't know much of the lyrics.

In another clip uploaded later on the same day, Liel flips through the pages of the guide, revealing its contents.

The booklet, which features the lyrics of songs that Swift performs in her concerts, isn't just words on paper, it also has design work.

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The guide also contains parts where fans could cheer, what chants they should sing and even when they can go to the washroom, Liel shared in her video.

She added: "You can pass this book to your boyfriend at the concert and all he needs to do is just read it, because it's 100 per cent accurate throughout the concert."

On her website, Liel charges $15 for the hardcopy book, while the PDF file goes for $12.

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Many netizens expressed gratitude to Liel and said they would want the guide.

One TikTok user said: "Girl, your dedication! Society is grateful." 

Another user said she didn't need the guide, but admitted that it looked "pretty". 

Some netizens, though, have accused Nicole of profiteering and copyright infringement.

Said one TikTok user: "I don't think this is legal." 

It is a criminal offence to distribute copyrighted works if you are neither the copyright holder nor have a license to do so, according to the Copyright Act in Singapore.

"Making profits off fans is definitely not it, especially if (the lyrics are) something you can (find on) Google," a TikTok user said.

"From a designer's perspective, this is very unethical," another opined.

'I just want to safekeep my work'

Responding to queries from AsiaOne through her Instagram Story, Liel said: "I charged for it - everyone's mind was blown that when you do something [that costs] time, you deserve to be remunerated," she said.

She added that she also spent money on hiring a designer to work on the book and that she barely broke even after factoring in the cost of printing the book.

But why did she charge for the PDF version too?

"I don't want people to be downloading the PDF and then printing it. I just want to safekeep my work," she explained.

ALSO READ: Scams, scalpers, additional seats: Ticket woes continue to plague fans as final Taylor Swift concerts take place

khooyihang@asiaone.com