Taylor Swift Is Making Vinyl Cool Again — and Profitable. Here's How Her Surprise Double Album Is Bringing Back the Old-School Medium.

Taylor Swift's highly anticipated caller medium "The Tortured Poets Department" (TTPD) deed streaming services astatine midnight ET connected Friday. At 2 a.m. ET, Swift revealed that TTPD was really a double album, releasing 31 full tracks nether "TTPD: The Anthology."

While Swift has made headlines for her expansive Eras tour, billionaire status, and impact connected nan economy, 1 facet of her marque has contributed to a resurgence successful an old-school mean of music: Vinyl.

During nan promotion for TTPD, vinyl took beforehand and center. Swift announced caller grounds variants astatine circuit stops across nan world, pinch titles for illustration "The Bolter" and "The Albatross." Buying a vinyl was marketed arsenic a measurement to entree to nan original 16-track medium and an exclusive prize track.

Taylor Swift's caller medium "The Tortured Poets Department" was released connected April 19. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

By releasing nan deluxe TTPD medium astatine 2 a.m., Swift was capable to fold successful nan exclusive prize tracks disposable separately connected each vinyl into "The Anthology" — truthful fans who didn't bargain records could watercourse nan songs.

Related: Taylor Swift Children's Book Surpasses 1 Million Sales Mark

Checking retired a $35 vinyl done nan Taylor Swift shop reveals that fans who bought it earlier "The Anthology" dropped only person entree to 17 tracks — an incomplete image of nan wide 31-track album.

Vinyl yields much gross than streaming for Swift, reports The New York Times.

"Some are consenting to salary to person much variants connected nan wall," euphony manufacture expert Dan Runcie told nan publication. "It's nary different from sports fans paying up to person rookie cards."

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 23, 2024

That could beryllium okay though: Fans whitethorn not beryllium buying Taylor Swift records conscionable for nan music.

Each vinyl connected Swift's tract emphasizes characteristic and collectability complete moreover exclusivity. "The Manuscript" version of TTPD, for example, includes unsocial replicas of Swift's lyrics, handwritten by nan artist, and collectible medium sleeves pinch unsocial photos. Swift handwrote a statement for select fans who acquisition TTPD records astatine immoderate grounds stores.

Related: Taylor Swift Just Filed a Trademark That Could Mean Even More Sales

TTPD isn't nan first medium that Swift has brought to vinyl. In 2016, Swift began issuing her early albums connected vinyl. 2020's "Folklore" had 9 vinyl editions and 2022's Midnights had 4 different colored editions that made a clock erstwhile put together.

One successful each 15 vinyl records sold successful nan U.S. past twelvemonth was by Swift, for a full of adjacent to 3.5 cardinal records sold. The Recording Industry Association of America stated successful a report that vinyl records outsold CDs for nan 2nd twelvemonth successful a statement since 1987 successful nan U.S., pinch 43 cardinal records sold successful full successful 2023.

It's not conscionable nan U.S.: "1989 (Taylor's Version)" took nan top-selling vinyl spot in nan U.K. complete The Rolling Stones' "Hackney Diamonds" and Lana Del Rey's "Did You Know Know There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd," which took 2nd and 3rd place, respectively.

Related: Taylor Swift Is Officially a Billionaire — Here's How She Did It and Where Her Net Worth Comes From

Not each artists are fans of nan vinyl strategy though, pinch Billie Eilish telling Billboard successful an question and reply past period that releasing different versions of nan aforesaid vinyl to summation income was "wasteful."

"It's irritating to maine that we're still astatine a constituent wherever you attraction that overmuch astir your numbers and you attraction that overmuch astir making money," Eilish said.

She later clarified that she wasn't singling anyone out.

It's not conscionable artists: Not each of Swift's fans for illustration nan constricted version records, pinch immoderate taking to societal media to critique nan aggregate variations.

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Andrew Mall, an subordinate euphony professor astatine Northeastern University, told Northeastern Global News that galore artists do nan aforesaid point arsenic Swift and merchandise different versions of nan aforesaid record, pinch variations successful things for illustration prize tracks and covers.

"Completists will spell retired and bargain a twelve different copies because it's important to them to person each transcript that's been produced," Mall told nan outlet.

Swift officially hit nan billionaire mark successful October 2023. TTPD will not beryllium her biggest money tie this twelvemonth though, vinyls and each — nan Eras circuit will be, according to Business Insider.