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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think releasing 28 album variations is exploiting your fans?

56 replies

defrazzled · 09/10/2025 22:04

I looked and couldn't find a thread on this, I wondered what mums of Taylor Swift fans thought. It seems really exploitative to me. DH has thousands of vinyl records but 28 versions of one album? All slightly different so you "gotta catch them all".

https://archive.ph/Oj0vC
https://consequence.net/2025/10/taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl-album-variants/

Taylor Swift The Life of a Showgirl album variants

Taylor Swift Girl-Bossed Too Close to the Sun With Her 28 Album Variants

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl marks the peak of her transformation from earnest pop star to cunning capitalist strategist.

https://consequence.net/2025/10/taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl-album-variants/

OP posts:
ShesTheAlbatross · 09/10/2025 22:20

I agree a little bit. But I also think - just don’t buy them 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m a big Taylor Swift fan. I don’t have Spotify so I bought the album to download (£12ish I guess, I can’t remember exactly). And then I’ve not bought anything else. If I had Spotify I could have listened for free.
If people can afford it and like collecting them, then fine, they can spend their money on it.
If people can’t afford it and it stresses them out, they maybe need to get a grip and realise you don’t have to buy them!

Original poster
defrazzled · 09/10/2025 22:14

Errahstop · 09/10/2025 22:10

She also had to rerecord her early albums because she didn't.have the rights to them

That seems perfectly reasonable to me. Its the squeezing of fans here I find grim.

OP posts:
Original poster
defrazzled · 09/10/2025 22:13

Loads of hardcore Swifties buy them all! At a cost of over £700.

OP posts:
Errahstop · 09/10/2025 22:10

She also had to rerecord her early albums because she didn't.have the rights to them

Original poster
defrazzled · 09/10/2025 22:08

It's to sell more units and by releasing them week after week it keeps it at the top of the charts.

OP posts:
mumofoneAloneandwell · 09/10/2025 22:05

Is it to increase her streaming stats or something? I dont really get why shes done it 😭