HispanicBusiness

Musicians love collaborations, whether it be with other musicians or corporations. Unfortunately, not all of them work.

Taylor Swift has established a brand that can be extended to multiple platforms. But she should mind the extensions.

Lou Reed and Metallica continue to be painfully hammered about the recently released spoken-rant-meets-metal effort that is "Lulu." The actress Zooey Deschanel has scored with M. Ward in She & Him, the band that just put out "A Very She & Christmas." Her marriage to Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, though, isn't scoring points as they have separated.

Danger Mouse's work with DOOM, Cee Lo Green and the Shins' James Mercer has yielded hits and critical applause, and whoever pays Lil Wayne for a guest verse is pretty much assured a hit.

Collaborations, especially in hip-hop, are everywhere. Turn on the TV or walk through the mall and you can see music stars acting and selling everything from cars to jewelry.

Last month, Swift, who recently won the CMA's entertainer of the year award, introduced her debut fragrance, Wonderstruck, at Macy's. Madonna will launch her first fragrance, Truth or Dare, next year. Beyonce has her own scent, so on the surface it smells like a good move for Swift. But, alas, Snooki by Snooki Polizzi, a star of MTV's "Jersey Shore," also has her own perfume. Paris Hilton, too.

Folks shouldn't be surprised if Wonderstruck sells well. Here's a look at what could come next from the Swift branding machine. The following, for Swift, is like a free marketing meeting.

1. Beverage: Drake, who was scheduled to perform at the arena Saturday before canceling, has a Sprite commercial and the smart lyric, "I avoided the coke game and went with Sprite instead." Cee Lo chose the 7UP game. Diddy is pitching Ciroc vodka. 50 Cent, who worked with Glaceau to create a vitamin water drink called Formula 50, also had a stake in the company. When it was sold to Coca-Cola in 2007, he earned an estimated $100 million. What could Swift sell? Since she turns 22 next month, it could be an alcoholic beverage but she's too wholesome for that. We're thinking coffee -- Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.

2. Acting: Starring in videos is like starring in mini-movies. Kind of. Rappers such as T.I., Ludacris, Ice-T and Ice Cube get call backs from casting agents. Madonna, Beyonce and Carrie Underwood have had mixed reviews from their on-screen performances. Swift's 2009 appearance on an episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" allowed her to show she can present different sides of the same character. And it wasn't just the wigs. She's better at acting than Gwyneth Paltrow is at singing. We'd like to see her in a movie -- just as long as it isn't made-for-TV-drivel-on-the-big-screen like Miley Cyrus' "The Last Song."

3. Music: Swift brought out T.I. and Usher at a concert in Atlanta. There's also the video she did with T-Pain. A hip-hop collaboration would work because Swift is cool. We'd suggest Kanye West because his remix of Justin Bieber's "Runaway Love" is fantastic, but we all know his history with Swift. We'd like to hear something -- just as long as it isn't made-for-MTV drivel like Nelly and Tim McGraw's "Over and Over Again." Pick a good rapper, Tay-Tay.

4. Designer: If Lindsay Lohan, Kanye West and the Olsen twins can be considered designers (OK, even if "designer" is used loosely), why can't Swift? She loves sequins, proving you don't have to be over a certain age -- or in a certain profession -- to wear the stuff. Or she should come out with a line of shape wear. Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian all wear it, we've read.

5. South Carolina: Charleston-based (by way of Seneca) NEEDTOBREATHE was handpicked by Swift to open. If she needed some more musicians with South Carolina ties, we'd suggest Hannah Miller, Haley Dreis, Lauren Lucas, Frontier Sons and Josh Roberts & the Hinges. We can hook you up. (My number is below, but I'd prefer if you'd e-mail me. That goes for anyone else who might be reading and wants to talk, too.)