You might not think of Taylor Swift as a writer, but she’s written or co-written every song that’s appeared on any of her albums, and now she’s written something else: An op-ed for The Wall Street Journal about the history of the music business. Swift is one of the few people on earth who consistently sells lots of records, so she’s more qualified than most to talk about this. In her piece, Swift calls herself an “enthusiastic optimist,” claims that online communication and celebrity fascination will only increase, and posits that the album is far from dead. She also says that musicians should stop giving away their work for free: “It’s my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album’s price point is. I hope they don’t underestimate themselves or undervalue their art.” The piece includes one of those WSJ stipple portraits of Swift’s face, and you can read it here.

Also, as per her Independence Day weekend Instagram, Taylor Swift has prettier friends than most of us.