Taylor Swift said in 2019 that she would redo her first six albums after her "nemesis" Scooter Braun bought the masters for the originals, a move she referred to as her "worst nightmare" at the time. While fans were happy and promised to support her all the way, they are now irked and some are even disgusted.
Swift released her own versions of Red (2012) and Fearless (2008) in 2021.
Taylor's cover of 2010's "Speak Now" was published last month, and all three rerecords included some previously unreleased tracks "from the vault" that didn't make the album's final track list.
They can be purchased on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats, with limited edition vinyls for Speak Now also being offered.
Taylor has reportedly imitated this marketing strategy for 1989 in an apparent effort to boost sales and guarantee chart supremacy.
While the Sunrise Boulevard Yellow edition of the vinyl was unexpectedly released last week, the Crystal Skies Blue edition serves as the primary record for the upcoming album. Taylor cautioned fans on social media that the yellow drop will only be for sale for the next 48 hours, creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity around it. E
Even though those 48 hours have now passed, Taylor has just released a third version of the record, the Aquamarine Green Edition, as a surprise.
The vinyl is aquamarine in color, and the cover once more features a fresh photo of Taylor. Oh, and you can only purchase it for 48 hours.
The celebrity wrote to her 270 million Instagram followers on Monday, saying: "Oh hi everyone! For the next 48 hours, the Aquamarine Green Edition of 1989 (my version) is accessible on my website. As orders for several versions cannot be placed at the same time, each of the vinyls has been advertised on Taylor's official store for $31.89 in addition to its own shipping fee.
Taylor Swift is now under fire from some of her most ardent supporters for the "shameless cash grab" and is being charged with fan exploitation.
On Taylor's specific Reddit profile, a user commented in a subreddit, "I'm actually getting annoyed she keeps doing this," and another person repeated, "The capitalist era will never end, will it?" Another person questioned Taylor, "Why. So. Many. Versions. Of. The. Same. Damn. Album." "I cannot handle the feeling of money grabbing."
One more remarked, "I feel like she's just trolling us at this point." You still have to pay full shipping if you preordered one or two of the other variations, according to someone else who posted on a subreddit. Really dishonest sales technique. Really scummy."
Each Eras Tour concert estimates $13 million a night, according to a June 2023 Bloomberg report. However, Taylor doesn't see all that money. In fact, most of it goes directly to production costs, but it still makes Taylor a top-grossed artist. The same Bloomberg report estimated that the "Karma" singer is "on pace to gross more than $1 billion," from this tour alone.
Similarly, a separate report from The Wall Street Journal has estimated that she'll be the first-ever artist whose tour grosses $1 billion. However, her gross earnings from each concert are estimated to be anywhere between $6 million to $13 million.
