A cold war between the titans of pop music – or at least their mobilized fan bases and record labels – turned into a digital arms race this week as Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish set their sights on the top spot on the charts next week’s Billboard albums.
Swift, 34, has been atop the Billboard 200 for the past four weeks with her hit new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which has generated more than 3.6 million US equivalent sales so far. albums (including physical purchases, downloads and streams). ). But Eilish’s highly rated new album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” poses a challenge for the top spot in its debut as all 10 of its songs are proving popular on streaming services like Spotify.
If only it were that simple.
Already, some avid followers of the two artists had a rivalry, dating back to Eilish’s comments in March about “some of the biggest artists in the world” selling many vinyl versions of the same album, “which drives up sales and increases”. the numbers and makes them more money.
The tactic, which Eilish called “unnecessary” and environmentally damaging, was widespread but used particularly widely — and effectively — by Swift. (Even before these comments, Eilish’s brother and main collaborator Finneas was previously heard on a hot mic joking about being “sued by Taylor Swift” after performing with an artist who had criticized his work.)
Eilish, 22, later said she did not intend to target any artist with her comments about the vinyls and added that she had also participated in the practice. (Both artists’ work remains available in a variety of physical formats, although Eilish has emphasized sustainability.)
Yet when Swift preempted Eilish’s album release last week with three special digital editions of “Tortured Poets,” available for 24 hours and featuring previously unreleased “rough draft phone memo” demos, many saw this decision as indicated. Especially online, where pop fans’ allegiance can be a blood sport, the match has become one to watch.
Eilish quickly released her own new digital edition of “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” which added isolated vocal tracks for each song. Such maneuvers – in which listeners invested in the success of their favorites are enticed to stream and purchase more with bonus content – are popular and common, especially amid tight competitions for bragging rights, in-game chess that is the modern music sector. But it didn’t stop there.
On Tuesday, Swift released a remix of her hit “Fortnight”; On Wednesday, Eilish posted a new remix of “L’Amour De Ma Vie.” And on Thursday, the final day of Billboard’s tracking week, Eilish expanded her album even further, releasing limited edition versions of each song both slowed down and sped up. (Eilish’s labels, Darkroom/Interscope, also discounted “Hit Me Hard and Soft” to $4.99 as an iTunes download – a more popular move in digital sales in an earlier era – while “Tortured Poets ” by Swift remained at $14.99. The “Fortnight” remix was priced at 69 cents, less than the typical single price of 99 cents or $1.29.)
Then, on Thursday evening, with six hours of sales remaining for the week, Swift made what seemed like a last ditch effort, putting three additional digital versions up for sale on her website, each featuring a new live track from her era. Touring performances earlier this month in Paris. The special editions were only made available for one day only.
Midweek forecasts, predating some of the latest bonus releases, gave Swift a slight edge, with about 350,000 units equaling Eilish’s 300,000, according to Hits magazine, whose totals sometimes vary from the official count. (Eilish’s previous album, “Happier Than Ever,” sold 238,000 copies in its first week, just shy of the 313,000 units her debut album sold in 2019.)
Billboard said the race “could be close.” And even unaffiliated fan groups – Arianators, Katycats, Little Monsters, etc. – have been called by fans to line up behind one side or the other.
Reps for Eilish and Swift declined to comment. The final count will be revealed early next week.
Gn entert
News Source : www.nytimes.com
