Swifties are some of the most dedicated and loyal fans out there, but Taylor Swift has come under fire from some of even her biggest followers after the announcement of her latest re-recording – 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
The thirty-three-year-old ‘Love Story’ songstress is currently undergoing the immense mission of re-recording her first 6 albums after falling into a dispute over the ownership of her masters. Long story short, she couldn’t get them into her own hands, so she decided to remake them.
Contrary to what her critics anticipated, the process of re-recording has been a huge success, with Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) having been huge chart hits. Their success has been aided by Swift’s plan to add ‘From The Vault’ tracks – aka songs that got left off the original recordings for one reason or another.
With 3 down and 3 still to go, Swift has proved that she is fully committed to the process. However, some of the tactics she’s used to push her latest efforts are facing criticism from fans, who think that she is trying to ‘exploit’ them.
The criticism comes amid a blockbuster year for the star, who is not even halfway through her 146 date world stadium tour.
The buildup to The Eras Tour was huge, as it marks Swift’s first time on the road since 2018. Considering the star has released 7 whole albums since then, it’s no surprise that Swifties had to battle in the great war of Ticketmaster in order to get their hands on those precious tickets.
However, thus far, Swift proved her complete and utter commitment to putting her best foot forward. The show lasts for over 3 hours, with the setlist clocking in at a mammoth forty-four songs, including 2 acoustic surprise songs that change every night.
Spanning her entire career, the concert features songs from all but one of her 10 albums. For those who have followed the star from the very start of her now illustrious music career, it’s a once in a lifetime experience to see parts from her entire discography live on stage.
So, it’s understandable that tickets for the show are red hot, and fans are prepared to do anything to be in the same room as the star, particularly when there are a host of surprises during concerts throughout the year.
The latest of these surprises was the announcement of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in LA on the last night of the first US leg of the tour. For those of us who lived through the album’s first drop back in 2014, the level of hype surrounding the re-release is understandable, as 1989‘s domination of the charts was unstoppable at the time.
It appears that Swift is after a similar effect with her re-recording, as although the record doesn’t come out until October, the star has already released 3 different versions for pre-order, 2 of which have been deemed as ‘only available for forty-eight hours’. These ‘limited edition’ editions come with different covers and vinyl colours, luring fans into a ‘collect ’em all’ mentality.
Fans are anticipating at least 2 more editions to become available, as this was the case with her Midnights album which came out last year. Each of the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) editions are set to come with their own set of pictures, mirroring those that came with the original album back in 2014.
However, some fans are not happy about this, and understandably see the limited edition push as a “shameless cash grab,” particularly as the editions are being released one at a time, which encourages impulse purchasing and makes shoppers incur extra shipping charges.
“I’m actually getting annoyed she keeps doing this,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
A second agreed: “The capitalist era will never end, will it.”
A third said: “Still have to pay full shipping if you pre ordered one/two of the other variants. Really scummy selling tactic. Really scummy.”
Despite the backlash, it’s doubtful that these criticisms will lead to Swift doing things much differently, as the ‘Karma’ singer continues to be one of music’s most influential figures.
