Taylor Swift has managed to keep his album “The Tortured Poets Department” at No. 1 in the UK for the sixth consecutive week, after releasing new versions of the album with exclusive tracks. However, some fans believe that these new versions were a strategy to prevent Charli XCX and Bon Jovi from reaching first place. This is not the first time Swift has received criticism from fans of other artists, especially Billie Eilish’s, due to its multiple album versions that have allowed it to stay at the top of the charts for longer. In the fifth week following the album’s release on April 19, Swift faced stiff competition for No. 1 with Billie Eilish’s new album, “Hit Me Hard And Soft”. To counter this, Swift released three new versions of her album, available only on May 16 and 17, each featuring a demo version of a different track. Eilish responded with additional versions of her album and Swift, at the last minute, released more digital versions with live tracks from her “Eras Tour” in Paris, thus managing to maintain the top spot and relegating Eilish’s album to number 2.
The competition for number 1 intensified due to a rivalry between fans, especially after Eilish will criticize artists who release multiple vinyl versions in March just to increase sales, a comment that many interpreted as a hint to Swift. Eilish clarified that his criticism was not directed at anyone in particular, but rather was an observation about systemic problems in the music industry. Despite this, Swift’s multiple covers of “The Tortured Poets Department” have been seen by some as a tactic to block other artists and by others as a simple attempt to make more money.
Pitchfork critic Shaad D’Souza noted in a column for The Guardian that Swift’s strategy of releasing so many covers has reached the point of tiring even her most loyal fans. D’Souza noted that these tactics allow Swift to outperform smaller artists. and especially smaller female artists on the charts, while praising Charli
On social media, Swift has faced criticism from pop music fans. A publication that called his Thursday release of “Tortured Poets” “comically embarrassing” got over 16,000 likes, while another X user got almost 80,000 likes accusing Swift of being an “artist obsessed with fame and statistics.” Despite her criticism, Swift continues to dominate the charts and attract the attention of both her fans and her detractors. This dynamic of releasing multiple versions of an album, while effective in maintaining her chart position, has sparked a debate about ethics and tactics in today’s music industry.
