To Taylor Swift much expected new album The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) hit streaming services at midnight ET Friday. At 2 a.m. ET, Swift FOUND that TTPD was actually a double album, releasing a total of 31 tracks under “TTPD: The Anthology”.
While Swift has made a fuss about it extensive tour Eras, billionaire statusAND impact on the economyone aspect of its brand has contributed to a resurgence of an old-school music medium: Vinyl.
During the promotion for TTPD, vinyl came front and center. Swift announced new record variants at tour stops around the worldwith titles like “The Bolter” AND “Albatross”. Buying a vinyl was marketed as a way to access the original 16-track album and an exclusive bonus track.
Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department was released on April 19. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
By releasing the deluxe TTPD album at 2am, Swift was able to fold the exclusive bonus tracks available separately on each vinyl into The Anthology – so non-record-buying fans could stream the tracks.
Connected: Taylor Swift's children's book surpasses the 1 million mark
By checking one Vinyl $35 via store Taylor Swift reveals that fans who bought it before “The Anthology” dropped have access to just 17 tracks — an incomplete snapshot of the 31-song total album.
Vinyl delivers more revenue than streaming for Swift, reports New York Times.
“Some are willing to pay to have more variants on the wall,” music industry analyst Dan Runcie told the publication. “It's no different than sports fans paying to have rookie cards.”
Filename: The Albatross ?
Pre-order the new edition of DEPARTMENT OF TORTURE POETS with exclusive bonus track “The Albatross” on my website nowhttps://t.co/BAtr2MpPIs?: What Garrabrant pic.twitter.com/62Bmrc5zs5
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 23, 2024
That might be okay, though: fans might not buy Taylor Swift records just for the music.
Every vinyl on Swift's site emphasizes uniqueness and collectability over exclusivity. “The Manuscript” the TTPD edition, for example, includes one-of-a-kind copies of Swift's lyrics, handwritten by the artist, and one-of-a-kind photo collection album sleeves. Swift handwrote a note to selected fans who buy TTPD records at some record stores.
Connected: Taylor Swift just filed a trademark that could mean even more sales
TTPD isn't the first album Swift has brought to vinyl. IN 2016, Swift began releasing her early albums on vinyl. 2020's “Folklore” had nine vinyl editions and 2022's Midnights had four different colored editions that made an hour when they join.
One in every 15 vinyl records sold in the US last year it was from Swift, for a total of nearly 3.5 million discs sold. Recording Industry Association of America says a report that vinyl records outsell CDs for the second consecutive year since 1987 in the US, with 43 million records sold in total in 2023.
It's not just the US: “1989 (Taylor Version)” takes the top-selling vinyl spot in UK. over the Rolling Stones' “Hackney Diamonds” and Lana Del Rey's “Did You Know There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” which took second and third place, respectively.
Connected: Taylor Swift Is Officially A Billionaire – Here's How She Did It & Where Her Net Worth Comes From
However, not all artists are fans of the vinyl strategy, with Billie Eilish telling Billboard in an interview last month that releasing different versions of the same vinyl to boost sales was “ruin.”
“It's frustrating to me that we're still at a point where you care so much about your numbers and you care so much about making money,” Eilish said.
She later CLEAR that she was not singling anyone out.
It's not just the artists: Not all of Swift's fans love limited-edition records, some do taking on social media to criticize the many variations.
Andrew Mallsaid an associate professor of music at Northeastern University Northeastern Global News that many artists do the same thing as Swift and release different versions of the same album, with variations on things like bonus tracks and covers.
“Completists will go out and buy a dozen different copies because it's important to them to have every copy that's been produced,” Mall told the media.
Swift officially hit the billionaire mark in October 2023. TTPD won't be her biggest cash draw this year, vinyls and all – the Eras tour will be, according to Business Insider.