When Taylor Swift released a nine-vinyl edition of her album “Folklore” in 2020, Florida fan Tylor Hammers took notice. But it wasn't until “Midnights” two years later that he became a true collector, scouring the Internet and retail stores for every variation of her album he could find. In the process, he spent about $1,000. And we've compiled a gorgeous technicolor catalog of Swift's LPs. Print it as an online album.
“I find joy in being a perfectionist,” Hammers, 24, said in a recent interview.
He's not the only one.
While streaming remains the dominant music format, physical media has grown into a niche market that allows the industry to cater to so-called superfans. They express their devotion to their artists by shelling out big bucks for collectible versions of new releases, sometimes offering multiple quantities. K-pop acts as BTS pioneered this strategy by releasing elaborate CD packages on several occasions, often including merchandise such as postcards or photo booklets, which have helped the boy band continue to reach the top spot.
But no one likes Swift, or at least uses it on the same scale. Last year, she sold 3.5 million LPs in the U.S., thanks in part to five pastel variations of “1989 (Taylor's Version),” a re-recording of her 2014 album, and the popularity of Swift's entire catalog during her record-breaking Eras. tourism.
When Swift's latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is released on Friday, it will be available in a portfolio of versions on vinyl, CD and even cassette, with bonus tracks and a specific “deluxe” edition sold through Swift. These include websites, trinkets such as magnets, photo cards, engraved bookmarks, and more. Some items, such as a standard CD, cost as little as $13. But last weekend, Swift's site sold a limited edition signed LP for $50, which disappeared within 20 minutes, according to fans on social media.
“Vinyl collecting fits very well into Taylor’s fandom, because we’ve always collected Taylor-related things like clothing, general merchandise, CDs and even confetti,” Hammers said.
This is a global phenomenon, driven in part by the much larger profits artists can make from physical products in the age of streaming, where per-click royalties are miniscule. Of the 10 most popular albums in the world last year announced by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Swift took 2 and K-pop singers took 5. Plastic collections also surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating supply chain issues and causing months of delays, although wait times have since decreased.
Swift, 34, has long understood the role collectible items can play in building fan connections. Ten years ago, when her original '1989' album was released, she reposted a photo of her fans displaying store-bought CDs. For her 2019 hit “Lover,” Swift sold a four-CD edition that included a booklet featuring excerpts from her own diary entries.
For “Midnights,” a total of 35 physical units, each with a unique UPC code, were sold in the U.S., according to Luminate, which provides Billboard chart data. Some of them were essentially redundant, like the 10-piece box set that included CDs and t-shirts sorted by shirt size. However, the “Midnights” product list also includes CDs and vinyl LPs with different disc colors and cover art, editions with bonus tracks, signed photos and edited lyrics, and CDs that were initially only sold at her live shows.
The most ingenious thing is that the series of numbers on the back covers of the four standard “Midnights” LPs, arranged in a grid, form the time on the clock. Swift's site also sells a clock that goes with the shelf for $49. In its first week, “Midnights” sold 1.1 million copies as a complete package, marking the first time any album has surpassed 1 million in pure sales since Swift's “Reputation” five years ago.
As of last week, “Midnights” had sold 7.1 million albums in the U.S., with streaming accounting for about 58% of the total, according to Luminate. However, approximately 2.5 million copies of the album, or 35% of total consumption, were sold through physical media. The most popular version, selling nearly 460,000 copies, was the “Lavender” CD, which included three additional tracks and was sold in Target stores. (These numbers do not necessarily represent all of the album's sales at Target.) The only cassette version issued with “Moonstone Blue” sold 17,000 copies and is currently available for upwards of $100 on resale sites such as eBay and Discogs.
In recent years, virtually every major artist hoping for a No. 1 debut, from Olivia Rodrigo and Beyoncé to Harry Styles and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has been given the go-ahead, especially in a variety of colored vinyls. Collectible packaging has become a necessity. In an age dominated by streaming, when digital music doesn't give fans anything tangible to point to as a totem, the variety of vinyl variants is one thing that draws them in. There are also versions with additional tracks sold through exclusive deals with Target, Walmart, or indie stores.
Dan Runcie, who analyzes the music industry on his podcast and newsletter Trapital, sees this phenomenon in part as a matter of artists and record companies catching up on sports merchandising.
“The music industry is trying to find ways to maximize their loyal fans and give them more of what they want,” Runcie said. “Some people are willing to pay to have more variation on their walls. “This is no different than a sports fan paying to get a rookie card.”
However, this also sparked a backlash, with accusations that the artists were taking advantage of their fans' loyalty. Some anonymous Swifties last year slammed the '1989' remake as a 'shameless cash grab' and criticized the environmental impact of all clones. packaging.
Billie Eilish will release her next album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” in eight vinyl versions on May 17th. But she said it will all be made from recycled materials.
Before the album's release last month, Eilish caused a brief uproar when she told Billboard that it was “a waste” to release 40 different vinyl packages with different, unique characteristics just to get artists to keep buying them. “Swift's fans interpreted the comment as directed at her own idol. Eilish then took to social media to say, “I didn't specify anyone. “This is a systemic problem across the industry.”
Hammers, who, like Swift, is an avid collector of Lana Del Rey's records, said she disagrees that artists who release multiple LPs have exploited the loyalty of their fans. He said fans are not forced to buy things and appreciate artists who pay attention to their products.
“At the end of the day, they’re all trying to sell their music, and that’s one way to sell it,” he said.