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Introduction
Okay I need to make this very clear right at the start. I am Taylor Swift Neutral. I am by no means a fan but as with most pop music I find her music rather inconsequential. Meaning I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it. I understand it’s mass appeal. I grew up an absolute snob when it came to what music I listened to & a lot of times that was completely unwarranted. But through high school as I started to expand & grow into what I like now, I was rather insufferable. I can still be insufferable but I have chilled out to the point that… just listen to what makes you happy. Sounds obvious but I was a true dickhead about it in high school.
Now I want to answer one main question in this video. Is Taylor Swift playing Billboard King of The Hill? Is she intentionally blocking artists like Billie Eillish & Charli XCX? Or is everybody just collateral damage from an obsession to be number 1?
Variations in the Music industry
First I think we need to quickly go over what album variants mean because this is not a new phenomenon. It has always been common practice in the music industry. A band would release a standard version, maybe country specific versions & then a deluxe version 6 months to a year later. Artwork variations aren’t new either, The Police for example had 36 album artwork variants for their 1983 album “Synchronicity”. Vinyl has been making a comeback for the last 15 years. In 2022 Vinyl sales exceeded CD sales for the first time since 1987 by almost 10 million. Vinyl Records have become more of a collectors item for fans than a medium in which to actually listen to the music. Luminate (the company who tracks record sales, streams etc. that dictate the Billboard Charts) reported in 2023 that 50% of people that own vinyl don’t actually own a record player. Might not be a good look for a musician or a guy with a music podcast but I am in that 50%. I own 3 QOTSA Records, this still in the plastic & framed KISS Alive Album my buddy found for me.. look at that, still has the Sears sticker on it & my good friends in Ready The Prince’s Debut Album. Now, why do I have these? Well, Villians was a gift from a friend that assumed that I had a record player. I’ve actually got a few records as gifts from people who assumed I had a record player.The Self Titled QOTSA Album was a re-release & I thought it would be cool to have. Then I had the thought, I am a super fan of QOTSA, maybe I will collect them all. It feels good to own these albums for a band that I love. I bought this RTP Vinyl because I wanted to support the debut of my friends as well I want to have the first run of this thing.
Variants & The Charts
I also want to make one thing SO clear. Obviously nobody is obligated to buy anything. But marketing is done in the hopes to convert sales.
Now there are 2 main reasons for variants & they kind of go hand in hand. If you offer different physical variations of your album you are potentially enticing more people to buy the album & maybe buy multiples of that album. It makes no difference to the charts if an artists sells 5 albums to one person, that all counts. We are seeing it now on streaming with artists releasing a single with multiple versions of the song under the umbrella of 1 EP. You would have your single as it’s meant to be heard followed by, sped up, slowed down, instrumental, extended or radio edits and so on. Any plays on any version of that single all gets reported as a stream for the “master single” we will call it. I believe this is a response to apps like Tik Tok. People were making these versions specifically sped up & slowed down anyway, so artists need to find ways to capitalize on these trends. I don’t really have a problem with this because artists should be benefitting from the art they create.
I want to take a quick side bar here & talk about the “Taylor’s Version”. I’ve seen her take some flack that re-releasing albums is mainly to feed her greedy little pockets and pad her chart numbers. From what I understand about her re-recording all of her albums, it’s a punk rock move. Now I’ve seen people say her masters were stolen from her, from what I’ve read, they weren’t stolen from her, they were never her’s. The were the labels & if you want to have a conversation about whether that is right or not, we can. But as it stands, she signed a contract. Now should she have been given the opportunity to buy them when that label was going under? Absolutely. I believe that whether you’re Taylor Swift or an unknown band just playing in and around your hometown, you deserve the credit & payment for the art that you create. I don’t care if Taylor Swift is a Billionaire, those are her songs. Obviously that conversation can be much more nuanced but I think it’s an important piece.
So every artist has variants so why the Taylor hate? I think we need to dive into the difference in what variants normally look like & what Taylor has been doing with this new album. Billie Eillish has 3 Vinyl variants on her website for her new album. Standard Black, Grey & White vinyl. Aside from the colour of the vinyl all of these albums are the same. Charli XCX has 12 vinyl variants on her website. Mostly different packaging or vinyl colours, picture discs. Some come with some extra merch like a poster or a 7” single. One Variant is a bonus track addition, that comes with 3 bonus tracks. A lot more to choose from Charli but this seems like a spoiled for choice situation. There really isn’t much reason to buy multiple versions of “brat” as fan, you might just have a hard time deciding what you want to spend your $60 on.
Now it is no secret that Taylor Swift has a CULT following. As an outsider it’s rather evident that she cashes in on the fact that she will be able to sell her “fans” the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
I did my research on this video, I really did but I was still having a hard time finding a breakdown of what every variant of The Tortured Poets Department was. I remember talking about on the Podcast (We Should Jam Sometime) that there would be multiple variants off rip all containing ONE different song on each. Immediately that feels like…. Honestly… that’s a fuck you to her fans. I was trying to stay as fair as possible, but on her website there is only the standard & the Anthology versions of the album. (And a shitload of merch oh my god.) But then I realized, all of these variations are presented as a limited time offers. So you can’t wait to see if there’s another variation, you don’t know what’s next & you don’t want to miss out.
You know I was also thinking about this when I hear that there would be a variation with voice memo demos of some songs. My first thought was “that’s posthumous content.” I was… I still am, but I was too a fan of Nirvana in high school. I was in high school from 2010 to 2014. Right around that time of my life was the 20th anniversary of Nevermind & in Utero. The Cobain documentary “Montage of Heck” was also released around that time. Kurt Cobain has been milked of every little piece of content, more than any other artist. Montage of heck was littered with tapes of half baked ideas, stuff you know Kurt never wanted heard. It’s often joked by me & my musician friends, that if we ever got famous and died we need to delete each others voice memos. Because there are HOURS of shitty ideas or first takes of songs. Things you don’t want to show your band let alone the world.
Intentional Blocking or Collateral Damage?
So the internet tells me that Taylor has been intentionally blocking other artists from claiming number 1, specifically female artists & even more specifically Billie Eillish & Charli XCX. Billie Eillish’s 3rd album is her first not to debut at number 1 despite selling more copies in it’s first week than its predecessors. Taylor released 2 variants the same day. Charli XCX was believed to beat Taylor in the UK when Taylor released another variant with the aforementioned voice memo exclusively in the UK the same week. A few things to consider, from my research neither Billie or Charli were going to top Swift on the charts even if she didn’t release these variants. To me that’s the only thing that matters. Swifties have been claiming that the UK releases were because she was about to bring her tour across the pond. Like some marketing ploy to sell tickets. Because we all know Taylor is having a tough time moving tickets….
Taylor does seem to have a history of being petty. I love being petty, who doesn’t love being a little petty. Fans have been loving the sports references. I, clearly am not an athlete but this seems to be like if a team is up 8 to 3 with seconds left on the clock. The game is over but the winning team just keeps putting up baskets. Why not get to 10? 13? 25? Sure, why not? But it isn’t likeable. And I think Taylor Swift does want to be likeable. I’m a pro-wrestling fan, I love a heel. Taylor Swift does not want to be a heel. She’s the relatable girl next store, right? Taylor Swift is undoubtedly the biggest pop star in the world right now. Which is what makes all of this very sad. The sports references are sad.
I had a note about “Taylor Swift Lore” & I think the idea that Taylor Swift has this grand back story that people buy into is really hilarious. It seems that fans don’t like when people mention the ex-boyfriends but then like… you know? Maybe that’s something to dive into in a different video.
Conclusion
I don’t believe that Taylor is waiting in the wings to release another variant in order to block other artists from being number 1. At least not in a very specific sense. I also don’t think she re-recorded her old albums to pad her numbers, I think the main reason was to get paid what she’s worth & that’s completely reasonable. Sure, she is going to benefit on the charts but again, I don’t believe that was the main motivation. Now is her re-recording her albums probably going to fuck it up for other artists moving forward? Probably, yes. But that’s a flaw in the music industry, not in Taylor’s character. Labels are in charge because they are going to fund your dream, Taylor Swift doesn’t need a label. Which I also think some of people saying “oh I will give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe it’s her team making these decisions” are also way off base. Look, Taylor Swift isn’t answering to people. I don’t think this is a Taylor specific thing, but she’s been around a while. She certainly has a team that are handling things for her, but she’s in charge. They all work for her. You can’t on one hand suggest that all the creative is her & she this fantastic business women then say she didn’t have a hand in the release of a variant. I don’t think it matter if it’s Billie Eillish or Charli XCX or Drake. But I do think being number 1 is more important to her than producing great music. Because great music, great art is what is remembered at the end of the day, that is legacy. Where you placed on Billboard doesn’t matter, the awards don’t matter, it might matter to your wallet and that’s okay. But Swifties are talking about legacy. Awards are meaningless to your legacy. The connection people have with your art is all that matters & clearly people connect to Taylor Swift’s art. I think the use of the word “won”, Taylor won or Charli was going to “beat” Taylor is so fucked up & maybe just removed from the music I consume. I think all of this proves that numbers don’t matter & they certainly don’t matter in 2024. Taylor Swift is not The Beatles, she’s not Micheal Jackson. I’m not saying that as an insult. I think it’s insane to make the comparison. She has accomplished some incredible things, people can just be themselves.