“And now I know the life of a showgirl, babe,” sings Taylor Swift in her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Do you Swift? Because the only life you seem to know is the life of capitalism and being a billionaire. I know this is going to be a hot take, however, someone has to say it: Swift is not making music for herself, she’s making it for the money.
Enter “The Life of A Showgirl,” Swift’s brand new pop princess album. I will spare you from another album review, but here’s the facts: the album broke multiple records, including the one-day record for vinyl sales and for biggest listening week, which was previously held by Adele’s album “25.” At surface level, this appears to be Swift top-charting and normally this is acceptable behavior. Yet, there is one factor here that is changing everything: The album variants.
From this album alone Taylor has released 27 physical iterations (18 CDs, eight vinyl LPs, and one cassette) and seven download variants, of those digital variants, there were four new iTunes Store-exclusive editions of the album that sold for $4.99 each, one per day, each for 24-hours only.
Frankly, how are that many versions even feasible for her label? Not to mention the names lack creativity and are more of a “give me a vinyl name” prompt into ChatGPT. The Shiny Bug addition? The Tiny Bubbles in the Champagne edition? Lakeside Beach Baby Blue Sparkle edition? I mean what even is the Shiny Bug edition? Like the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” from the nursery rhyme?
Not only are the names atrocious and painfully basic, but so is the way she’s marketing it all. I watched day after day as Swift uploaded another countdown on her website and all of the hardcore Swifties waited aimlessly, just for the countdown to hit zero and bam. “Buy the new show business poster girlboss cassette tape.” That’s not fair to fans. People feel the need to keep up with their favorite artist and show that they are real fans. When in reality, these new releases are not for fans, it’s a cash grab for her. And other artists actually agree.
In a 2024 interview with Billboard, Billie Ellish spoke out against the vinyl variant mania.
“I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable — and then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more,” said Ellish.
Ellish’s 2024 hit album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” was proof that you don’t need excessive capitalism. It debuted number two behind, you guessed it, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which had 34 different versions of the album being sold.
This is a larger problem in the music industry. We cannot have the most popular artist on the market making it inequitable for listeners. Music is supposed to be something that is accessible and a way to foster connection. When you already have to pay for streaming fees, now you are being told you need to buy more? That’s not the point of music. That’s not trying to be this girlboss who loves inclusivity. That’s peak capitalism in a time where people can’t even afford healthcare.
So, Swift, to answer your own question: Yes, you did girlboss too close to the sun.
