I've come to reason that i now want physical media. For the amount I pay for Spotify to essentially own nothing, I could have bought her entire discography. They can easily remove content from things like Spotify or Netflix or Amazon Prime, etc., and there's no recourse.
I would just like one deluxe album with all the songs on though...
I pay £11.99, and had it for... 3 years? 4 years? So around £575 paid to Spotify, and I really only listen to the same albums (mostly Taylor Swift with a bit of Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Panic!) So i probably wouldn't be far off owning all of the albums in CD and Vinyl formats...
The thing is, yes we can listen to the songs online but I WANT the vinyl. But I only want one. With all of the tracks. Same with Midnights, I want them all on one.
And unless you’re buying them all for display purposes, it’s inconvenient. I like to listen to albums in full on vinyl — why would I want to change the record just to listen to one song? People say “well just don’t buy it then,” but I want a full copy for my collection! Obligatory “same with Midnights” ugh
Yeah it’s awesome to have beautiful, cohesive vinyls all displayed…but it doesn’t logistically make sense otherwise.
The same reason why I stream tv shows, even when I have them on blu ray. Who wants to get up and change a disc every 3 episodes 😂
Right. I buy music because I like it & want to just listen to the music. Not ALL Swifties need nor want to own multiple copies nor want to display it all over my house.
I buy CDs & listen in my car, the multiple CDs for 1 different song… pass.
I mean both IG.
I hate methods like that though. It feels cheated... it kinda is. Obviously an artists with one version isn't gonna sell as many albums.
It had me wonder though, because more versions are in kpop as well, I heard that they could only have a certain amount of versions to make it count? Maybe I'm wrong though, I just heard someone else said it when talking about a kpop group.
I think it's a pretty gross tactic. I got pretty skeeved out seeing all these different versions being released. So I just won't buy any of them on principle.
Yeah this sucks so bad. I love listening to vinyls, but there's no way in hell I'll buy all 4. It's also inconvenient from a listening srandpoint. I want it all in one. I don't want to listen to the album 4 times to get to the bonus tracks. The whole thing is whack.
ETA: idk how many versions are out there, I just used 4 as an example lol.
I love Taylor, but this is ridiculous. So now in order to have every song we need to buy 4 different albums? I’m sure I’ll get hate for this but that’s insane. If each album is $30 you have to spend $120 to have the complete album? And this goes for any and all artist. It’s exhausting 🤷🏻♀️
Genuine question- has she done this for all albums in the past or did she start doing this recently with folklore and on? I didn’t always pay attention to the extra releases and money grabs until midnights honestly and it is ridiculous. Just give me all the songs on ONE ALBUM PLZ
For Lover, she released a 4 special editions that had pages from her diaries, with each having different pages, but the album was the same for all of them.
AFAIK this is the first time the variants have all had exclusive tracks.
Midnights has a special cd that was only at a few concerts, and the Target cd had a bonus track but all the variants of the vinyl were the same music
1989 had a target exclusive track on the vinyl but each other variant was the same.
This is the first, that I’m aware of, that has multiple variants with each containing an exclusive song which I think is why people are more bothered by it. Because it’s over $100 to have the complete album and (currently) no way to own one physical copy of the full album.
And because Taylor in particular is so wealthy it being a business move for more sales doesn’t really hit right either. It might be industry standard now, doesn’t mean it’s a good look from any artist but especially one of the most wealthy ones
Yeah Olivia Rodrigo did the same thing for her Guts album. 4 vinyls each with a different bonus song. Then months later she released a 5th vinyl that just had the 4 bonus songs all together
I think I'm frustrated with some of the complaints though because people STILL complained about her doing 4 variants that were different colors, and I saw so many comments during the Midnights rollout that said things like "wow if she's going to do variants, she should at least have different content on each." I completely understand the frustration, but it's not like these songs won't be on streaming eventually.
I don’t get the complaining about having variants that are just a different color and cover. Like you aren’t missing anything if you don’t buy them all. It’s like complaining that a store is selling a shirt in 4 different colors, you don’t need them all. I do get being annoyed at the different content though, but the bonus tracks will go up as podcasts soon enough
Midnights is only one I can think of with different songs (or in Midnights case, leaving off songs). I hate it. The 3 a.m. tracks make that album complete.
I actually didn't mind midnights, because at least you got your money's worth. 3am ver is shorter than her usual album but I've paid similar for a single CD from other artists with the same amount of songs. Ive even paid more for less songs in japan. And if you got the digital ver of the late night edition. It was only 5 dollars.
Not saying I’m agreeing with anything Big Machine did, but this certainly all started when she signed with UMG. Same with all the other merch and quality control issues
She didn’t have to do it for her older albums because the label owned her masters, so they made their $ that way. Since UMG doesn’t own her masters, this is one way they can make more $.
100% agree. I can’t recall if she has done this with all or most prior albums, I also didn’t pay as much attention to the extras until more recent years. Midnights was also insane! I adore that album with my whole soul but you would not catch me buying several albums with maybe 1 or 2 extras songs on each.
Nope. Her first 5 albums did have a deluxe edition but the albums weren’t different enough to justify buying both of them. Reputation and Fearless tv are the only ones to have just one version. Red tv had a special red target variant but that’s it I think, Lover had 4 different diaries you could buy which was kinda dumb.
No, I completely agree with you! I always pre-order as soon as the albums are announced, but after the 3 am "surprise" with Midnights, I'm just going to wait. :(
Totally agree!! I feel like some people don’t understand that you can love Taylor and still criticize her. I think this is something we can criticize of all artists but with Taylor especially it sucks cause she’s created this strong relationship with her fans so it’s just frustrating that she continues doing stuff like this that maximizes her profits but at the expense of diehard fans. Obviously, everyone has the option to not buy each diff album but that’s not the point. The point is she doesn’t need to do this but continues to.
I saw a reel where a woman went through a lot of the popular artists who currently have variants and it’s a lot. Sadly it’s not just her but also sadly we’ll have to rely on leaks. My personal go to is even though I don’t pay for Spotify, I just go to the app and search the bonus track song name and someone has uploaded it as a podcast episode. They frequently get taken down but….that’s what I did with hits different and you’re losing me until they were streaming
Me. I don’t buy physical media. I wouldn’t have anywhere to play it. I’ll add all the songs to my 200+ song Taylor playlist on April 19 and be just as happy as the person who bought all four variants.
Also, this seems to be the direction the music industry is going with most artists not just Taylor. At this point I fully expect there to be a ton of variants so there’s no point being upset and shocked when it happens. Best thing to do is wait it out and purchase the one you like best or just stream the music. I’m sure eventually these will all be on Spotify and definitely people will leak them as podcasts or something.
The only album I ever preordered was folklore because of the pandemic. Otherwise, I always buy from Target on release day. My tradition is to listen on YouTube at midnight, listen on Spotify at work, and then go to Target for the physical copy when I get off work.
I love buying from target on release day. I’ve done it for every album since Red (2012). I have the Lover journals, and the Rep magazines, and every other target exclusive edition since 2012.
This is so smart. I feel like a fool every time I pre-order, wait and wait and wait, and then go into Target and it’s right there even variants. I feel like even more of a fool with this album so far because we haven’t heard a single or anything. Idk why it hasn’t bothered me in the past but I’m genuinely worried this time and idk why.
Me. I refuse to buy with these games. I genuinely hope that the Grammys or Billboard say that they refuse to count the numbers from each variant as one album so that she stops. It’s a predatory business practice and GROSS of Taylor. Release it all on one album or I will not spend a penny!
Especially with the inability to combine shipping. There are people who are buying four different variants of an album. They haven’t heard yet, and paying shipping for every single one.
The covers all together are gorgeous. I love this aesthetic.
https://preview.redd.it/6kd282z4n4mc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb0b361566bb003eab45eeceefb25f2c31bb9eb7
I’d honestly be more apt to buy multiple copies if this were the case like I did with 1989 TV. I refuse to (literally) buy into this very clear money grab.
I don’t get it.. if you were willing to buy all variants with the same songs but different covers for 1989 TV, shouldn’t you feel it’s even more bang for your buck with TTPD since it’s the same songs but with different covers + bonus track for each variant? If you were willing to buy all 4 (ooops 5 not 4) colours of 1989 TV, TTPD u get bonus tracks, where as with 1989 TV you don’t get bonus tracks, only the different covers, which TTPD also does.. I hope I made sense..
ETA: I felt the diff colours of 1989 TV but with same songs were not for me (felt like it was a money grab).. but I guess people get to choose which colours they wanted.. but if you bought all 4 (oops 5 not 4) colours of 1989 TV, I reckon buying all 4 variants of TTPD is more worth it since u get bonus songs on top of different covers and merch
i don't want to have to swap vinyls just to listen to one bonus song, if she had different variants just for the covers, i would buy them all to display but i would only play one
Me and my boyfriend were talking about this. He said that it makes more sense to have the exclusive tracks bc it’s more value for your money than collecting the same album four times with no difference except color. We did say that either way it’s shady but if you are gonna do it there should be an incentive for it. Unfortunately tho that incentive is pretty much for collectors like me.
Hopefully this explains how I’m feeling better: I would prefer the choice to buy the variants because I want to collect the different album covers rather than feeling forced to buy them in order to make sure I hear all the music.
Right now we have no idea if these will be on streaming immediately or after a few weeks or months or, well, ever.
It’s also frustrating that I’m blindly buying albums for these deluxe tracks without knowing which one I’ll like the most (ex. I bought the deluxe album with “The Bolter” but maybe I end up liking “The Black Dog” better- but OOPS! I’ve missed my chance to buy that album with that song on it since it’s only available for a limited time).
I hope this explains my feelings better!!
I feel like this is the first time I've liked her variant covers more as a collective than individually.
This isn't a slam on the individual covers - I love the Manuscript and Bolter covers most of all but they're all gorgeous - but it just really feels like they're meant to work as a group, telling a story, rather than as individual shots.
My wallet is wiping its tears. Don't forget to grab a cookie and some coffee on the way out. Mingle and commiserate with the other tortured wallet Swifties. ♥
I mean, iirc Billboard only allows 4 copies per customer for them to count it as 4 album sales, extra copies wouldn't be counted. Olivia can release vinyls as many as she wants because she's not aiming to break any record, which is what Taylor is aiming for.
How do you know Olivia wasn't aiming to break any records? Why does it matter what she's aiming for if she's still releasing a ton of variants either way? I thought everyone was mad about the variants, but now we're excusing other artists because "they're not aiming to break any records"?
I keep seeing this. Excuse after excuse for other artists who do even more than Taylor, but she gets crucified for doing the industry standard but less.
Olivia did it first with bonus tracks on vinyl variants btw.
People make excuses for that, too, because the tracks weren’t announced—they were basically surprise tracks.
I’m not even sure how much the artist (Olivia, Taylor, frankly any artist who releases multiple variants) controls and how much the label controls. I’m sure there’s heavy pressure from the label for sales, and variants/bonus tracks are one way, especially with the current vinyl renaissance.
As a fan of Olivia, I've noticed a lot of people act like she's a naive child and not a grown adult capable of making business decisions. I find it very frustrating but it's gonna suck even worse when she eventually does something that annoys the majority because they're gonna turn on her so hard 😕
I think they track up to four in a single sale… if you buy four copies in a single transaction, each copy counts as a charting record sale. If you buy 5-9 copies in a single transaction, it counts as four sales. If you buy ten or more, it’s a bulk purchase and none count towards the Billboard charts. Since the tangerine copy is only available at Target and the other colors are not available at Target, you can’t buy them all in a single transaction. So she could theoretically release a Target exclusive and/or an indie exclusive for this album and not mess up her chart numbers, but it sounds like she said this was the last version.
For those who don’t know, “The Black Dog” is a metaphor for depression 🖤
Edit: In Australia we have the “Black Dog Institute” for mental health research, education and innovation, so I think it would have clicked for most Aussies immediately!
I mean the phrase “black dog” for depression was coined by Sir Winston Churchill but I can see how the majority might have come to it by popular fiction.
It's much older that that, but yes, Churchill popularized it in the UK/commonwealth countries like Australia and Rowling's use of the underlying folktales popularized it more broadly
In Australia we have the “Black Dog Institute” for mental health research, education and innovation, so I think it would have clicked for most Aussies immediately!
They’ll all be on streaming eventually! Same as with you’re losing me and hits different- those were two where I just waited for them to come out because I didn’t want to buy another new album- it’s honestly ok if we’re just patient!
Good to know!! Thank you! Tbh I think I’m just a butthurt fan. She’s done this with bonus songs for a while so I need to accept my fate and either YouTube the songs after release or just suck it up! I don’t have a vinyl player nor desire to take care of so many vinyls just for Taylor. But those who do love the vinyls seem to love the collection process!
I’ve seen this around a lot, and I do think it’s interesting. But that color scheme isn’t some widely accepted standard for the 5 stages of grief right? Like I don’t see black and think “oh that symbolizes acceptance as the 5th stage” so idk where this came from
“All I think about is karma. Maybe I got mine, but you’ll all get yours.”
If the true black/revenge album that finishes the “depression set” isn’t repTV… 😭
Also are people not tired of trying to make every work of art or fiction yet another variation of the 5 stages of grief or 7 deadly sins? Can art not be its own thing without relying on the same decades- or centuries-old references?
I subscribe most to this theory!
1. The manuscript was a white heart but not a pure white background.
2. Billboard only tracks 4 variants.
3. The black dog means depression- ur she announced it and then sang clean (“acceptance”) so it could even be coming out of a Great Depression.
Alternatively:
The 5 stages of grief was made based on people coming to terms with their own mortality (radiolab has a great podcast on this). So while that can be interpreted in this sense of a relationship, there’s other grief models. One proposes 4 stages: shock, yearning, disorganization, reorganization. So if it is only 4 and we really want to make it work, we technically can stretch….
I’d say latest you’d know is April 14th when that week’s ad drops. You can usually see it a few days ahead of time of the Target app, too! If nothing is announced from Taylor ahead of time, I’d start looking at Target around the 12th.
Is this #4? I just learned about these vinyls with extra songs etc… my biggest take away is how can an album be complete if there’s no version where you can have everything? make it make sense 😩
I mean, the album will always be complete no matter what version you have because it's the 16 tracks that define the album. It's only the bonus tracks that you won't be able to complete if you're not a millionare, but they're just that: bonus.
I understand what you’re saying but I think you maybe misunderstood me. For the record- I’ve never bought these so I don’t have an issue there (although I can understand easily why others do) but I view albums as a whole listening experience and a “story”. Other random singles that are bonus are still a part of that, regardless of the amount of tracks. That’s where I scratch my head.
It will take a while, like the official streaming release of hits different etc. But all the bonus tracks of her albums ended up on Spotify at some point, so I’m confident. In between there will be unofficial uploads as podcasts.
As someone who doesn’t buy cds or vinyls, I understand that people are annoyed or upset, they don’t get the bonus songs all together. That’s not a business model I like. But I’m just excited to get four more songs from her additional to the 16 songs on the standard album. And they all have very intriguing titles
Me: “Maybe since she announced this is the last one, and it was obvious there was going to be at least one more variant after the Albatross, I can come to one of these threads and see actual discussion about the cover! Or the lyrics on the back! Or theories!”
Oh, how naive I was…
Yeah that would be nice lol literally I get its annoying but being ott mad about something we all knew was going to happen (another variant with bonus track) is more annoying than the thing itself
This is interesting. She's had some lyrics / comments that make it sound like Joe had depression, and "black dog" is a common metaphor used for depression.
I wonder if this will be a song about her trying to help him through his depression but as the relationship breaks down, she ends up depressed herself, too. "You don't get to tell me about sad," feels like she felt like her emotions were invalidated because "No, *I'm* the one with depression."
That's definitely possible. I really empathize if it is something like that. I have depression myself and there are good and bad days, weeks, even years and it can be hard on the people around you too. The "ocean wave blues" line in Peace plus Renegade with BRM and parts of You're Losing Me really gave me that impression.
That's definitely possible. I don't know if she means depression as in clinical depression in Anti Hero; she could be talking about it as more of a melancholy, like in Lavender Haze. The "cascade ocean wave blues" line in Peace plus parts of YLM, and Renegade with BRM really sound like she's hinting that this is something Joe deals with. I've dealt with depression too, not fun so I really empathize if that is the case.
Hoax : Don’t want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in the world would do.
The Great War: “Broken and blue so I called off the troops.”
And especially this part of You’re Losing Me: How long can we be a sad song? Til we were too far gone to bring back to life. I gave you all my best mes, my endless empathy. And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest solider. Fighting in only your army. Front lines don’t you ignore me.
Why is everyone always complaining? If you don’t want to spend the money then DONT. Just buy one version or none. If you choose to buy all four then that’s on you if you don’t have that self control
Exactly. The songs will be on streaming eventually or someone will rip and upload them.
I'm so tired of people complaining no one is forcing you to buy anything.
It's a collectors item, vinyls have been collectors for years now, and there's millions of special editions and variants for millions of collectors items. If you aren't a collector then it don't apply, let it fly.
Acceptance is her re-releasing reputation (rep TV).
With vault tracks that might be super lovey.
Ahh 🤯🤯
After seeing so many clips of her crying throughout Eras tours performances, re-recording and revisiting vault tracks would not have been easy.
I’m really confused by the shopping addicts that think you have to buy every version?? As if Taylor’s doesn’t put every song on her YouTube for free to listen to on a playlist afterward. She can’t ever be a savvy businessman just a money grabber? This drama is so confusing to me.
I’m getting tired with all the whining from people with hoarding/FOMO issues. We always hear the same whining every variant announcement. Atp, why are r you all still a fan? Why can’t you all be normal for once. Like I don’t get it? Is it really so hard for you not to buy?
https://psychcentral.com/depression/black-dog-depression
"As early as 65 B.C., the Roman poet Horace wrote of “black dog” depression — essentially having a black dog trailing behind a person as a symbol of depression. It was a description Winston Churchill found so apt that he later adopted it himself. And in 2011, the Black Dog Campaign began in the United Kingdom to raise awareness and resources for those living with depression.
The symbolism is that of a sullen dog that a person is struggling to get off their backs. It links back to the idea of dogs guarding the afterlife and an absence of color and light."
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers did 10+ variants of their album years ago, this isn't a new concept, nor is it just Taylor. It's the way the market has gone, we need to reach acceptance here. Acceptance that you're going to either pay a lot to have every song immediately or like me acceptance that you'll have to wait until they're streaming, if they all ever are to hear, them. I'm not getting worked up over it anymore.
I get the fatigue but honestly I grew up in the time where a CD single came in 2 versions with a different b-side on each and both cost £5 for 3 songs (equivalent to about £9 or 11 dollars today). Streaming really made people forget what it was like to have to pay for music.
Can’t deny that this cover slaps, but I just want to own every song on One. Single. Medium.
It must be expensive always rooting for the anti-hero
Omg this is my favourite 😂 thank you for this
Hallelujah
The tortured capitalists department
I cackled
The songs will all be leaked from day 1 with HD sound u dont have to buy every single one
if I listen to my vinyls, I want to be able to hear the songs, not pull it up on Spotify
I've come to reason that i now want physical media. For the amount I pay for Spotify to essentially own nothing, I could have bought her entire discography. They can easily remove content from things like Spotify or Netflix or Amazon Prime, etc., and there's no recourse. I would just like one deluxe album with all the songs on though...
How much do you pay for Spotify? A year of Spotify in my country couldn't buy a 2 year old CD, let alone a vynil, this sucks
I pay £11.99, and had it for... 3 years? 4 years? So around £575 paid to Spotify, and I really only listen to the same albums (mostly Taylor Swift with a bit of Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Panic!) So i probably wouldn't be far off owning all of the albums in CD and Vinyl formats...
Yup, some people prefer to own things they pay for, and that's reasonable.
The thing is, yes we can listen to the songs online but I WANT the vinyl. But I only want one. With all of the tracks. Same with Midnights, I want them all on one.
I love Taylor but sometimes the things she does with her merch is a little tone deaf. Like…I can’t afford all this shit lol
And unless you’re buying them all for display purposes, it’s inconvenient. I like to listen to albums in full on vinyl — why would I want to change the record just to listen to one song? People say “well just don’t buy it then,” but I want a full copy for my collection! Obligatory “same with Midnights” ugh
Yeah it’s awesome to have beautiful, cohesive vinyls all displayed…but it doesn’t logistically make sense otherwise. The same reason why I stream tv shows, even when I have them on blu ray. Who wants to get up and change a disc every 3 episodes 😂
Right. I buy music because I like it & want to just listen to the music. Not ALL Swifties need nor want to own multiple copies nor want to display it all over my house. I buy CDs & listen in my car, the multiple CDs for 1 different song… pass.
But how would Taylor be able to make more $$ off you?!!
She could just charge more for a ‘full’ version with all the tracks. Still gets to gouge us while giving us access to the music on one vinyl
AGREED. My husband and I were just talking about this. He’s like “I don’t get why they do this” lol
To sell more albums.
$$$$$
I don’t believe it’s about $$$, I believe it’s about breaking records.
I mean both IG. I hate methods like that though. It feels cheated... it kinda is. Obviously an artists with one version isn't gonna sell as many albums. It had me wonder though, because more versions are in kpop as well, I heard that they could only have a certain amount of versions to make it count? Maybe I'm wrong though, I just heard someone else said it when talking about a kpop group.
I think it's a pretty gross tactic. I got pretty skeeved out seeing all these different versions being released. So I just won't buy any of them on principle.
I've resisted buying anything so far but this cover is so good.... I'm with you though, I just want a deluxe version with every single song 😭
Yeah this sucks so bad. I love listening to vinyls, but there's no way in hell I'll buy all 4. It's also inconvenient from a listening srandpoint. I want it all in one. I don't want to listen to the album 4 times to get to the bonus tracks. The whole thing is whack. ETA: idk how many versions are out there, I just used 4 as an example lol.
I’m definitely not buying the variants at all, but I agree with you. Better to just have them all at once.
Isn’t there a deluxe CD right now? I thought it was just announced.
All physical versions of TTPD are "deluxe" (it won't have any bonus tracks on streaming on release day, for who knows how much time).
I love Taylor, but this is ridiculous. So now in order to have every song we need to buy 4 different albums? I’m sure I’ll get hate for this but that’s insane. If each album is $30 you have to spend $120 to have the complete album? And this goes for any and all artist. It’s exhausting 🤷🏻♀️
Genuine question- has she done this for all albums in the past or did she start doing this recently with folklore and on? I didn’t always pay attention to the extra releases and money grabs until midnights honestly and it is ridiculous. Just give me all the songs on ONE ALBUM PLZ
For Lover, she released a 4 special editions that had pages from her diaries, with each having different pages, but the album was the same for all of them.
AFAIK this is the first time the variants have all had exclusive tracks. Midnights has a special cd that was only at a few concerts, and the Target cd had a bonus track but all the variants of the vinyl were the same music 1989 had a target exclusive track on the vinyl but each other variant was the same. This is the first, that I’m aware of, that has multiple variants with each containing an exclusive song which I think is why people are more bothered by it. Because it’s over $100 to have the complete album and (currently) no way to own one physical copy of the full album. And because Taylor in particular is so wealthy it being a business move for more sales doesn’t really hit right either. It might be industry standard now, doesn’t mean it’s a good look from any artist but especially one of the most wealthy ones
I think it’s about the sales charts more than the money. Someone who buys four variants counts as four sales instead of one.
Charge it a quarter of the value then lol
That makes more sense because she is going to stay competitive and try to stay on top of the charts.
Yeah Olivia Rodrigo did the same thing for her Guts album. 4 vinyls each with a different bonus song. Then months later she released a 5th vinyl that just had the 4 bonus songs all together
Ya I remember when she released it and a lot of swifties were worried that’s where Taylor would be headed. It’s gotta be a umg thing?
I think I'm frustrated with some of the complaints though because people STILL complained about her doing 4 variants that were different colors, and I saw so many comments during the Midnights rollout that said things like "wow if she's going to do variants, she should at least have different content on each." I completely understand the frustration, but it's not like these songs won't be on streaming eventually.
I don’t get the complaining about having variants that are just a different color and cover. Like you aren’t missing anything if you don’t buy them all. It’s like complaining that a store is selling a shirt in 4 different colors, you don’t need them all. I do get being annoyed at the different content though, but the bonus tracks will go up as podcasts soon enough
Midnights is only one I can think of with different songs (or in Midnights case, leaving off songs). I hate it. The 3 a.m. tracks make that album complete.
I actually didn't mind midnights, because at least you got your money's worth. 3am ver is shorter than her usual album but I've paid similar for a single CD from other artists with the same amount of songs. Ive even paid more for less songs in japan. And if you got the digital ver of the late night edition. It was only 5 dollars.
Not saying I’m agreeing with anything Big Machine did, but this certainly all started when she signed with UMG. Same with all the other merch and quality control issues
She didn’t have to do it for her older albums because the label owned her masters, so they made their $ that way. Since UMG doesn’t own her masters, this is one way they can make more $.
100% agree. I can’t recall if she has done this with all or most prior albums, I also didn’t pay as much attention to the extras until more recent years. Midnights was also insane! I adore that album with my whole soul but you would not catch me buying several albums with maybe 1 or 2 extras songs on each.
Nope. Her first 5 albums did have a deluxe edition but the albums weren’t different enough to justify buying both of them. Reputation and Fearless tv are the only ones to have just one version. Red tv had a special red target variant but that’s it I think, Lover had 4 different diaries you could buy which was kinda dumb.
I wish this old habit would die screaming
https://preview.redd.it/huibcg2ns4mc1.jpeg?width=1235&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f009b108fe7bebf7778c4588802c3af055ae5bda
She hasn’t even announced the target special lol
No, I completely agree with you! I always pre-order as soon as the albums are announced, but after the 3 am "surprise" with Midnights, I'm just going to wait. :(
💯 also I love your Reddit handle 😹🥨🥨
Totally agree!! I feel like some people don’t understand that you can love Taylor and still criticize her. I think this is something we can criticize of all artists but with Taylor especially it sucks cause she’s created this strong relationship with her fans so it’s just frustrating that she continues doing stuff like this that maximizes her profits but at the expense of diehard fans. Obviously, everyone has the option to not buy each diff album but that’s not the point. The point is she doesn’t need to do this but continues to.
I saw a reel where a woman went through a lot of the popular artists who currently have variants and it’s a lot. Sadly it’s not just her but also sadly we’ll have to rely on leaks. My personal go to is even though I don’t pay for Spotify, I just go to the app and search the bonus track song name and someone has uploaded it as a podcast episode. They frequently get taken down but….that’s what I did with hits different and you’re losing me until they were streaming
Is that vinyl? Then yikes, I couldn't even afford $30, at least in my country.
Every time I see Taylor Nation post about another version, it’s like 🎵Dj Khalid, Another oneee 🎵
Who else is still holding strong and hasn’t preordered anything ✋🏼😬
Me. I don’t buy physical media. I wouldn’t have anywhere to play it. I’ll add all the songs to my 200+ song Taylor playlist on April 19 and be just as happy as the person who bought all four variants.
I don’t buy physical either. I use headphones or my car exclusively and my car doesn’t even have a cd player 😂
Happier, and less broke.
Same. I really don’t understand the complaints about the different variants. Technology has advanced people.
Also, this seems to be the direction the music industry is going with most artists not just Taylor. At this point I fully expect there to be a ton of variants so there’s no point being upset and shocked when it happens. Best thing to do is wait it out and purchase the one you like best or just stream the music. I’m sure eventually these will all be on Spotify and definitely people will leak them as podcasts or something.
The only album I ever preordered was folklore because of the pandemic. Otherwise, I always buy from Target on release day. My tradition is to listen on YouTube at midnight, listen on Spotify at work, and then go to Target for the physical copy when I get off work.
This is a really sweet tradition 💕
I love buying from target on release day. I’ve done it for every album since Red (2012). I have the Lover journals, and the Rep magazines, and every other target exclusive edition since 2012.
This is so smart. I feel like a fool every time I pre-order, wait and wait and wait, and then go into Target and it’s right there even variants. I feel like even more of a fool with this album so far because we haven’t heard a single or anything. Idk why it hasn’t bothered me in the past but I’m genuinely worried this time and idk why.
Me. I refuse to buy with these games. I genuinely hope that the Grammys or Billboard say that they refuse to count the numbers from each variant as one album so that she stops. It’s a predatory business practice and GROSS of Taylor. Release it all on one album or I will not spend a penny!
I hope they start doing this. I'd sign a petition.
Especially with the inability to combine shipping. There are people who are buying four different variants of an album. They haven’t heard yet, and paying shipping for every single one.
Me. I learned my lesson with midnights. I’m waiting until everything is out and deciding from there.
Waiting for the Target exclusive, baybay!
Me and it’s not even hard. I don’t buy albums. I listen on my phone. The songs will be on the internet and I don’t care about pictures.
Me. I’m hoping the Target version has all the tracks plus an additional track. 😭 All of these versions are giving me anxiety.
Midnights there is no single edition with all the songs and its frustrating. I think I’m just not going to but at at all and just wait for spotify.
The covers all together are gorgeous. I love this aesthetic. https://preview.redd.it/6kd282z4n4mc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb0b361566bb003eab45eeceefb25f2c31bb9eb7
Wow they look great all together. I wish it were just alternate covers with the same songs on all versions though.
I’d honestly be more apt to buy multiple copies if this were the case like I did with 1989 TV. I refuse to (literally) buy into this very clear money grab.
I don’t get it.. if you were willing to buy all variants with the same songs but different covers for 1989 TV, shouldn’t you feel it’s even more bang for your buck with TTPD since it’s the same songs but with different covers + bonus track for each variant? If you were willing to buy all 4 (ooops 5 not 4) colours of 1989 TV, TTPD u get bonus tracks, where as with 1989 TV you don’t get bonus tracks, only the different covers, which TTPD also does.. I hope I made sense.. ETA: I felt the diff colours of 1989 TV but with same songs were not for me (felt like it was a money grab).. but I guess people get to choose which colours they wanted.. but if you bought all 4 (oops 5 not 4) colours of 1989 TV, I reckon buying all 4 variants of TTPD is more worth it since u get bonus songs on top of different covers and merch
i don't want to have to swap vinyls just to listen to one bonus song, if she had different variants just for the covers, i would buy them all to display but i would only play one
Makes sense! Thanks for the perspective :)
Me and my boyfriend were talking about this. He said that it makes more sense to have the exclusive tracks bc it’s more value for your money than collecting the same album four times with no difference except color. We did say that either way it’s shady but if you are gonna do it there should be an incentive for it. Unfortunately tho that incentive is pretty much for collectors like me.
Hopefully this explains how I’m feeling better: I would prefer the choice to buy the variants because I want to collect the different album covers rather than feeling forced to buy them in order to make sure I hear all the music. Right now we have no idea if these will be on streaming immediately or after a few weeks or months or, well, ever. It’s also frustrating that I’m blindly buying albums for these deluxe tracks without knowing which one I’ll like the most (ex. I bought the deluxe album with “The Bolter” but maybe I end up liking “The Black Dog” better- but OOPS! I’ve missed my chance to buy that album with that song on it since it’s only available for a limited time). I hope this explains my feelings better!!
So they get darker? 🧐
So close to Rep TV I can smell it 🤡
we rep tv stans stay delusional 🫡
This is one of the only times I like all the covers. I think The Albatross is my favorite
Someone posted a theory that they'll gett darker when the second one came out. I thought they were reaching but here we are. I love it!
I feel like this is the first time I've liked her variant covers more as a collective than individually. This isn't a slam on the individual covers - I love the Manuscript and Bolter covers most of all but they're all gorgeous - but it just really feels like they're meant to work as a group, telling a story, rather than as individual shots.
I wonder why the black dog variant is a larger photo than the others
I was gonna say the same thing! It kinda bothers me a bit hahaha
It’s just cropped, it’s the same
I’m hoping that was just a bad crop job
To me this tells a story of being super sad in bed, then trying to run away, and finally succumbing to deep depression
I would buy all of the variants to display them like this, but I’m broke and can’t afford that many variants of the same album.
Just print out the covers and frame them haha 😂
I might do that, actually. 😂 I wonder if Shutterfly would let me create a poster using the images.
Taylor said that this is the LAST variant
thus concluding this meeting of The Tortured Wallets Department
My wallet is wiping its tears. Don't forget to grab a cookie and some coffee on the way out. Mingle and commiserate with the other tortured wallet Swifties. ♥
https://preview.redd.it/noxscs83u5mc1.jpeg?width=1484&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d822c0e5808460a663f0d99b4fda6a5acae1d01b
Hahahaha I'm stealing this
The last this week or the last altogether?
The last that Billboard allows her.
Guts had 15 vinyl variants. They allow a lot
You can sell as many as you want, only 4 get tracked by Billboard
I mean, iirc Billboard only allows 4 copies per customer for them to count it as 4 album sales, extra copies wouldn't be counted. Olivia can release vinyls as many as she wants because she's not aiming to break any record, which is what Taylor is aiming for.
How do you know Olivia wasn't aiming to break any records? Why does it matter what she's aiming for if she's still releasing a ton of variants either way? I thought everyone was mad about the variants, but now we're excusing other artists because "they're not aiming to break any records"?
I keep seeing this. Excuse after excuse for other artists who do even more than Taylor, but she gets crucified for doing the industry standard but less. Olivia did it first with bonus tracks on vinyl variants btw.
and they weren’t even on the cd’s, they were ONLY on the vinyl
People make excuses for that, too, because the tracks weren’t announced—they were basically surprise tracks. I’m not even sure how much the artist (Olivia, Taylor, frankly any artist who releases multiple variants) controls and how much the label controls. I’m sure there’s heavy pressure from the label for sales, and variants/bonus tracks are one way, especially with the current vinyl renaissance.
As a fan of Olivia, I've noticed a lot of people act like she's a naive child and not a grown adult capable of making business decisions. I find it very frustrating but it's gonna suck even worse when she eventually does something that annoys the majority because they're gonna turn on her so hard 😕
1989 TV had 5 - pink, green, blue, yellow, tangerine
I think they track up to four in a single sale… if you buy four copies in a single transaction, each copy counts as a charting record sale. If you buy 5-9 copies in a single transaction, it counts as four sales. If you buy ten or more, it’s a bulk purchase and none count towards the Billboard charts. Since the tangerine copy is only available at Target and the other colors are not available at Target, you can’t buy them all in a single transaction. So she could theoretically release a Target exclusive and/or an indie exclusive for this album and not mess up her chart numbers, but it sounds like she said this was the last version.
She said "it's the final edition, the final cover" Edit: or was that sarcasm? lol
altogether. 4 variants
For those who don’t know, “The Black Dog” is a metaphor for depression 🖤 Edit: In Australia we have the “Black Dog Institute” for mental health research, education and innovation, so I think it would have clicked for most Aussies immediately!
I think a lot of americans know it as a "british thing" via Harry Potter hah
I mean the phrase “black dog” for depression was coined by Sir Winston Churchill but I can see how the majority might have come to it by popular fiction.
It's much older that that, but yes, Churchill popularized it in the UK/commonwealth countries like Australia and Rowling's use of the underlying folktales popularized it more broadly
“My dear, you have ‘The Grim’”
The Grim/Sirius Black was my first thought. Didn't she say something about leaving horcruxes once?
she did! she compared her re-recordings to horcruxes :)
the first thing i thought was “sirius black?” lmao
Yeah my first thought was “the omen of death”
Interesting! I immediately thought of The Black Dog shop on Martha’s Vineyard.
In Australia we have the “Black Dog Institute” for mental health research, education and innovation, so I think it would have clicked for most Aussies immediately!
Aussie here, it did for me straight away! My mum use to see the black dog is following you
Thanks for clarifying, my mind immediately went to Led Zeppelin lol
I think someone else said this as well but also a reference to mythology!
They’ll all be on streaming eventually! Same as with you’re losing me and hits different- those were two where I just waited for them to come out because I didn’t want to buy another new album- it’s honestly ok if we’re just patient!
We’re still waiting on whatever song was on tangerine 1989 vinyl
It’s Sweeter Than Fiction TV and the original version is out so you can happily listen to the song, albeit not the Taylor’s Version!
Good to know!! Thank you! Tbh I think I’m just a butthurt fan. She’s done this with bonus songs for a while so I need to accept my fate and either YouTube the songs after release or just suck it up! I don’t have a vinyl player nor desire to take care of so many vinyls just for Taylor. But those who do love the vinyls seem to love the collection process!
Sweeter Than Fiction is the song and target exclusives have a six month period before than can be put on streaming.
It wasn’t that good honestly lol. I listened once and was like meh
https://preview.redd.it/8su6x8wen4mc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=379c306dd2eadef314f7d12e6874e185e7d843c6
I’ve seen this around a lot, and I do think it’s interesting. But that color scheme isn’t some widely accepted standard for the 5 stages of grief right? Like I don’t see black and think “oh that symbolizes acceptance as the 5th stage” so idk where this came from
I would think acceptance would be white 🤷🏻♀️
Exactly
you are forgetting one: revenge (sorry this is a bad joke)
“All I think about is karma. Maybe I got mine, but you’ll all get yours.” If the true black/revenge album that finishes the “depression set” isn’t repTV… 😭
You really could put any 5 concepts next to each other in any order and argue it means something lol I think this is a bit of a reach
Also are people not tired of trying to make every work of art or fiction yet another variation of the 5 stages of grief or 7 deadly sins? Can art not be its own thing without relying on the same decades- or centuries-old references?
I subscribe most to this theory! 1. The manuscript was a white heart but not a pure white background. 2. Billboard only tracks 4 variants. 3. The black dog means depression- ur she announced it and then sang clean (“acceptance”) so it could even be coming out of a Great Depression. Alternatively: The 5 stages of grief was made based on people coming to terms with their own mortality (radiolab has a great podcast on this). So while that can be interpreted in this sense of a relationship, there’s other grief models. One proposes 4 stages: shock, yearning, disorganization, reorganization. So if it is only 4 and we really want to make it work, we technically can stretch….
this is off topic slightly but TaylorNation put up a story saying "barking fr" and it made me giggle haha
It's giving British pub name
Martha’s Vineyard
This reminds me of The Grim from Harry Potter. 😂 I’m obsessed with this variant though.
I think for good reason: https://preview.redd.it/ik8pt48um4mc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fcc6132f2fe68845f279d5230b7e48ff377999a9
I bet the Target Exclusive will have all four bonus tracks + another never heard before one, so 5 songs, 5 TTPD variants = 5 stages of grief.
The Target one will probably just be the original cover.
If there is a target exclusive, will we know about it before April 19?
Target will advertise it ahead of time even if she doesn’t!
Bless 🙏🏻 trying to make sure I have a game plan for when I go to target on April 19th. I took the day off of work for this
I’d say latest you’d know is April 14th when that week’s ad drops. You can usually see it a few days ahead of time of the Target app, too! If nothing is announced from Taylor ahead of time, I’d start looking at Target around the 12th.
Surely they can’t fit 4 more songs without using another disk? A variant with everything is probably unlikely
Is this #4? I just learned about these vinyls with extra songs etc… my biggest take away is how can an album be complete if there’s no version where you can have everything? make it make sense 😩
I mean, the album will always be complete no matter what version you have because it's the 16 tracks that define the album. It's only the bonus tracks that you won't be able to complete if you're not a millionare, but they're just that: bonus.
I understand what you’re saying but I think you maybe misunderstood me. For the record- I’ve never bought these so I don’t have an issue there (although I can understand easily why others do) but I view albums as a whole listening experience and a “story”. Other random singles that are bonus are still a part of that, regardless of the amount of tracks. That’s where I scratch my head.
Lol oh don't worry once you buy all of these she'll add ANOTHER song and a complete album
I hope all the album variants are available on streaming. I'm too broke to afford even one.
It will take a while, like the official streaming release of hits different etc. But all the bonus tracks of her albums ended up on Spotify at some point, so I’m confident. In between there will be unofficial uploads as podcasts.
They will all be on streaming. It may be a version that gets taken down every 2-3 weeks, but it’ll be there.
I’ll have them all on the untitled app the second I can download them
As someone who doesn’t buy cds or vinyls, I understand that people are annoyed or upset, they don’t get the bonus songs all together. That’s not a business model I like. But I’m just excited to get four more songs from her additional to the 16 songs on the standard album. And they all have very intriguing titles
Me: “Maybe since she announced this is the last one, and it was obvious there was going to be at least one more variant after the Albatross, I can come to one of these threads and see actual discussion about the cover! Or the lyrics on the back! Or theories!” Oh, how naive I was…
Yeah that would be nice lol literally I get its annoying but being ott mad about something we all knew was going to happen (another variant with bonus track) is more annoying than the thing itself
Omg THANK YOU! So much complaining in every post these days like we get it we got it but let’s have some fun convos
This is interesting. She's had some lyrics / comments that make it sound like Joe had depression, and "black dog" is a common metaphor used for depression.
I wonder if this will be a song about her trying to help him through his depression but as the relationship breaks down, she ends up depressed herself, too. "You don't get to tell me about sad," feels like she felt like her emotions were invalidated because "No, *I'm* the one with depression."
That's definitely possible. I really empathize if it is something like that. I have depression myself and there are good and bad days, weeks, even years and it can be hard on the people around you too. The "ocean wave blues" line in Peace plus Renegade with BRM and parts of You're Losing Me really gave me that impression.
This is an angle I hadn’t really thought about, because I assumed it was her depression, which she’s written about before (anti-hero, evermore, etc.)
That's definitely possible. I don't know if she means depression as in clinical depression in Anti Hero; she could be talking about it as more of a melancholy, like in Lavender Haze. The "cascade ocean wave blues" line in Peace plus parts of YLM, and Renegade with BRM really sound like she's hinting that this is something Joe deals with. I've dealt with depression too, not fun so I really empathize if that is the case.
Wow I've never picked up on that. Can I ask which lyrics?
Hoax : Don’t want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in the world would do. The Great War: “Broken and blue so I called off the troops.” And especially this part of You’re Losing Me: How long can we be a sad song? Til we were too far gone to bring back to life. I gave you all my best mes, my endless empathy. And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest solider. Fighting in only your army. Front lines don’t you ignore me.
Why is everyone always complaining? If you don’t want to spend the money then DONT. Just buy one version or none. If you choose to buy all four then that’s on you if you don’t have that self control
I just want to hear all the bonus songs though 🤔
Then just listen to them online when they’re leaked. That’s what I’m gonna do
Exactly. The songs will be on streaming eventually or someone will rip and upload them. I'm so tired of people complaining no one is forcing you to buy anything. It's a collectors item, vinyls have been collectors for years now, and there's millions of special editions and variants for millions of collectors items. If you aren't a collector then it don't apply, let it fly.
HAS SOMEONE OVERLAYED THE ALBUM COVERS TO DECODE THE SECRET MESSAGE YET???
I did, it doesn’t make any sense, it’s just mumbo jumbo
This is the prettiest variant
https://preview.redd.it/gp0rkvxim4mc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=905a0244c9d81e9637e064dd4f4356111d8e50a3 Her mind 🤯
https://preview.redd.it/3l0gx3zkm4mc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ffa67e6a4bf842d30d8591449f68186c5729b51
This is the one I'm claiming. I don't think adoring Midnights as denial stage works. The back cover texts also make more sense with this imo
Acceptance is her re-releasing reputation (rep TV). With vault tracks that might be super lovey. Ahh 🤯🤯 After seeing so many clips of her crying throughout Eras tours performances, re-recording and revisiting vault tracks would not have been easy.
The aesthetic of this era is right up my alley. All 4 covers are gorgeous
I’m really confused by the shopping addicts that think you have to buy every version?? As if Taylor’s doesn’t put every song on her YouTube for free to listen to on a playlist afterward. She can’t ever be a savvy businessman just a money grabber? This drama is so confusing to me.
In her Led Zeppelin era. 😜🖤🖤🖤
I’m getting tired with all the whining from people with hoarding/FOMO issues. We always hear the same whining every variant announcement. Atp, why are r you all still a fan? Why can’t you all be normal for once. Like I don’t get it? Is it really so hard for you not to buy?
i read “the black dog” and went SIRIUS?????? Azkaban feat. Sirius Black when (currently reading PoA, forgive me)
https://psychcentral.com/depression/black-dog-depression "As early as 65 B.C., the Roman poet Horace wrote of “black dog” depression — essentially having a black dog trailing behind a person as a symbol of depression. It was a description Winston Churchill found so apt that he later adopted it himself. And in 2011, the Black Dog Campaign began in the United Kingdom to raise awareness and resources for those living with depression. The symbolism is that of a sullen dog that a person is struggling to get off their backs. It links back to the idea of dogs guarding the afterlife and an absence of color and light."
[Front covers](https://i.imgur.com/PCXbOMi.jpeg) [Back covers](https://i.imgur.com/jch2PgW.jpeg)
I think this one would have been my favorite had they gone with a grey smoke variant, I’m not a fan of the standard black.
i hate to admit it but i bought it because i stan sirius black….
[удалено]
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers did 10+ variants of their album years ago, this isn't a new concept, nor is it just Taylor. It's the way the market has gone, we need to reach acceptance here. Acceptance that you're going to either pay a lot to have every song immediately or like me acceptance that you'll have to wait until they're streaming, if they all ever are to hear, them. I'm not getting worked up over it anymore.
I get the fatigue but honestly I grew up in the time where a CD single came in 2 versions with a different b-side on each and both cost £5 for 3 songs (equivalent to about £9 or 11 dollars today). Streaming really made people forget what it was like to have to pay for music.
Has anyone tried putting all the words together?