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By Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES, October 3 (Reuters) -Superstar Taylor Swift's latest studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," arrives Friday with a promotional blitz that includes midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theaters around the globe and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles. The release follows "The Tortured Poets Department," Swift's 11th studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and sold the equivalent of 8 million albums in the United States, according to Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales.  "She occupies a very rare position in today's fragmented music landscape: she is an active superstar with a massive and loyal fan base," said Tatiana Cirisano, vice president of music strategy for MIDiA Research. These passionate followers, who self-identify as "Swifties," help the artist break through the fragmented music landscape, and rise to the top of the charts, said Cirisano. "So few can get such a massive number of people listening to the same thing at once. So, it would surprise me a lot if the new release did not reach her usual level of success," she said.   Swift has been building anticipation for the new album since August 11, when she posted a countdown on her website that kept fans waiting until 12:12 a.m. ET on August 12, when she revealed  the name of her 12th album "The Life of a Showgirl." The next day, Swift appeared on the "New Heights" podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. The Top-10 rated sports and pop-culture podcast provided a friendly platform for Swift to talk about her forthcoming album, which she said had been inspired by the joy she felt while performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. The August 13 episode has surpassed 23.4 million views on YouTube. Swift has emerged as a cultural and economic force. Her globe-trotting Eras Tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing $2 billion in ticket sales by the time it concluded in December 2024, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry. That figure does not include the boost to hotel and Airbnb rentals, restaurant tabs and merchandise sales.  Academics have said Swift rivals other pop icons, like Elvis or Michael Jackson, in terms of her cultural impact — whether it's driving tune-in to NFL gamesor leading voter registration drives. Business partners have been eager to tap into the phenomenon that's been dubbed "Swiftonomics." AMC Theatres announced plans to distribute "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," an 89-minute film that features the first music video from the album, "The Fate of Ophelia,"  behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the music video, and Swift's reflections on songs from the album. The film will be in limited release, from Friday through Sunday, in more than 50 markets. Retailer Target plans to open some stores at midnight Friday to sell a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album with a "gold shimmer," and three CDs featuring exclusive album and poster art. Music streaming service Spotify opened a three-day pop-up in New York City on Tuesday, to let Swift fans step into the world of the album, with song lyrics hidden among displays that included a dressing room and other trappings of a concert tour. On Friday, TikTok opened its own "Life of a Showgirl" installation in Los Angeles. Taylor Nation, the artist's promotional team, released a schedule of promotional appearances to tout the new album, including stops on "The Graham Norton Show" on Friday, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Monday and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Wednesday.  (Editing by Patricia Reaney)

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A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Ankur Banerjee: The U.S. shutdown and political gridlock in Washington show no signs of ending any time soon. That hasn't stopped stocks and gold striking fresh record highs, as investors mainly focus on the Federal Reserve sticking the rate-cut path. While the risk of a drawn out shutdown could muddle the policy path, for now, markets are shrugging that off and taking a risk-on approach. Traders don't have to bide their time for the U.S. jobs report on Friday due to the shutdown, although manufacturing data from across Europe may sway the markets and underscore the impact of tariffs. But we have been saying that for a while and data so far has shown limited impact. Data earlier this week showed U.S. manufacturing activity edged up in September, though new orders and employment were subdued as factories grappled with the fallout from President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. So perhaps, more of the same is in store for Europe. That may not deter the stock markets where the pan-European STOXX 600 closed at a record high on Thursday, taking its yearly gains to 12%. Futures indicate another strong open. The surge in global stocks is led by the ever-present AI mania and the rising wagers of the Fed cutting rates again this year. With no government data, traders have turned to alternative private reports that show a sluggish labour market. That has reinforced the view that the Fed will lower rates again, as traders almost fully price in a cut later this month. Gold prices, as a result, have been on a tear, with the yellow metal heading for a seventh straight week in the black, bringing yearly gains to an eye-watering 47%. Investor attention will also be on any further deals that may be unveiled after Trump announced a deal with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla earlier this week to cut drug prices in exchange for relief from planned tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals. The Trump administration is pursuing deals across up to 30 industries, involving dozens of companies deemed critical to national or economic security, sources told Reuters. Key developments that could influence markets on Friday: Economic events: September PMIs for France, Germany, UK and euro zone. (By Ankur Banerjee; Editing by Sam Holmes)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)