As the lights dim and a large clock counts down the seconds until Taylor Swift takes the stage, a dedicated team works behind the scenes to ensure all fans—not just those in the stadium—can enjoy the magical evening.
Kyle Mumma is the mastermind behind Swift Alert, an app dedicated to updating Swift’s fans (Swifties) on the Eras Tour—the singer’s latest worldwide stadium tour.
Mumma became a dedicated Swiftie after attending the artist’s Fearless tour when he was in high school. Fast-forward to March of 2023, and he and his wife were among those at the opening night of the Eras Tour.
Like many fans, Mumma kept up with the tour through livestream videos of the concerts. On these livestreams, he often noticed comment sections flooded with questions about the surprise songs or what time a certain “era” started.
He said the business idea crystallized while he was listening to Nora Princiotti—host of The Ringer’s “Every Single Album” Taylor Swift podcast—talk about her desire for an app that would notify her when certain parts of the show started. This way, she would not have to worry about keeping up across different time zones.
“As someone who’s worked in the tech space and has a product background, I started to think about it,” Mumma said. “It wouldn’t be that hard to build, and I bet a bunch of people would use it.”
The app started as a notification system for Swifties, allowing them to filter what they wanted to hear about. They can choose to be informed when Swift is performing certain “eras,” if an album is announced, what the surprise songs for the night are, or even if Swift’s outfit changes.
The app is fully self-funded, and the Swift Alert team has relied on word of mouth to gain an audience rather than paying to market the product.
That team consists of four members, including Mumma, his wife, their friend, and a software engineer. At least one team member watches each show live to provide fast and accurate notifications for fans.
While there are many fan accounts dedicated to following the Eras Tour, Mumma said it can often be overwhelming to keep up with the many different updates—some of which may be unrelated to a given fan’s particular interests.
Allowing users to tailor their alerts based on what they want to see has helped Swift Alert to grow in popularity.
The Swift Alert Experience
The app is free with an option to purchase an all-access account for a one-time fee of $1.99. The paid version includes features like a surprise song and outfit tracker, as well as premium quizzes. All users, meanwhile, can enjoy features such as a place to build their own song rankings and play the popular Mastermind game.
In Mastermind, fans guess the surprise songs and outfits of the night. Users are awarded points based on their answers, and the winner receives prizes, like signed CDs and merchandise, that the Swift Alert team purchases. Every day during the tour, about 450,000 people participate in the game.
Mumma said Swift Alert has taken on a life of its own within the fanbase and it has been exciting to build connections with others in the space, such as USA Today’s Taylor Swift reporter, Bryan West (who wrote about the app).
But the most rewarding part, Mumma said, has been giving back to the community. Whether it be stories of hospitalized individuals finding joy in the fanbase or parents connecting with their children by playing Mastermind together, Mumma has heard from countless people about how the app has helped them.
“It’s an app to track the Eras Tour and follow what outfits Taylor Swift is wearing, but it’s also this moment of levity in people’s lives that is often really needed and missing, and that’s been really what we’re doing,” he said.
QUICK BITS
Startup: Swift Alert
Co-Founders: Kyle Mumma and Mia Wise
Founded: 2023
Location: Durham
Website: swiftalert.online
Funding: Self-funded
As of this writing, Swift Alert has around 1.3 million users with about 500,000 active people during the shows—yet Mumma said they are still evaluating what their future looks like with the end of the Eras tour approaching in December.
Since there is no subscription charge or ad revenue that would naturally sustain the app, the team is exploring what the future holds for the product. Mumma said they have built a community through this app, and they are open to ideas about how it can be utilized after the Eras Tour.
