Variety interviewed fans who buy Taylor Swift's album variants

[Teletubby 134,079]

• Belle, 48, has bought every “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD) variant except the regular CDs and Target exclusives. She says she’s “always been fascinated by Taylor’s brain, just the way her mind works.” And she became particularly interested watching Swift’s love story with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce unfold. 

She views the variants as part of Taylor’s tried-and-true album formula. Belle is all-in collecting the “TTPD” variants and knows there’s likely more in store. “I feel like I should just have all of them." “In the past, when she’s dropped something, I’ve ordered the vinyl, the cassette and the CD. But with this album, I was really excited about it because it was an experience with my daughter and a bonding thing.” 

At the start of the rollout, Belle bought simply the initial collector’s edition CD, the 1st vinyl piece to include a bonus track and the cassette. “And then Taylor dropped the 2nd one. And I did the same thing. And then she dropped the 3rd one. And then I was like, ‘Well, I think I’m just gonna order the vinyl and the collector CD and not the cassette.’ And I was like, ‘Why am I trying to save 20 bucks?’ Like, that’s just ridiculous, you know? And then the fourth one, obviously, you have to have all of them. And then she dropped the case to put them in. So we did that. And then I didn’t order the single when it 1st released, because I don’t really like CDs. … But then she dropped the ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ acoustic, and my daughter was like, ‘You have to order that one. That’s your favorite song. Order that.’ And then I went back and was like, ‘Well, I might as well order the acoustic,’” she says. “I’ve never done this with another thing where I felt like I needed to have all the versions.”

• Stephanie, 33, has bought all of the “TTPD” physical media, but not the digital versions of the variants. “I would love to buy [them too] if I had the money, but I have to be selective with what I’m purchasing. I had to hold out on those,” she says.

Stephanie bought a resale copy of “Lover [Live From Paris]” for around $700 and estimates she’s paid around $10,000 for all of Swift’s eras.

“My mom even will tell me, like, ‘You’d go broke for her if you could,’ and I’m like, ‘Well, I’m kind of almost,’” she says with a laugh. “To me, it’s like, you can always make more money. I work for a school district and do Uber Eats on the side — I can always do more Uber if I need to. But you can’t always get those experiences back. And you can’t always buy resale [physical copies] for a reasonable price.”

Stephanie says there’s a feeling of “Christmas morning” when Taylor drops new music. When receiving a new variant with a bonus track in the mail, it’s “very exciting to be able to see, ‘Okay, what did she do in this one that makes it different?’ And, ‘Is this gonna be my new favorite?’ Or is it gonna be, ‘Okay, I like the original better.’ And just that anticipation of seeing what it’s gonna be.”

Stephanie enjoys contributing to Swift’s success. “[...] I feel like now with ‘TTPD,’ there’s an even bigger potential to really make a mark in the industry. And she continues setting a new bar. And it’s pretty cool to be able to contribute to that and be like, ‘Wow, I helped make that happen.’”

Stephanie expresses doubt that the variants could be a master plan to prevent other artists from achieving No. 1. “I don’t think that it’s possible for Taylor to intentionally block things,” she says.

• Emiley, 31, is longtime Swiftie, also appreciates the effort that goes into all of Swift’s variants. “Each one typically has its own artwork and fresh photos that make it unique. So I know her team puts a lot of work into that. And I just think it’s really special to be able to have the entire collection and appreciate it as a whole instead of just having one individual [album],” she says.

Every Swiftie was well aware of the backlash the singer has received for the variants. “Being an artist, your goal is to be on the charts. …Taylor tends to draw in criticism no matter what she does. And I think it’s just a part of how big her status is as a celebrity. People are gonna find things to pick out, no matter what,” Emiley says, pointing out that variants in sports cards and video games don’t receive the same criticism.“

• Stacey, 27, says that some of the criticism is “valid” and that she eventually had to cancel some of her “Tortured Poet” purchases. “When they started releasing digital variants where you had to buy the ‘TTPD’ album 3 more times just to get 3 separate voice memos, it was a little bit much, as they were charging $5.99 per digital album. I had to draw a line somewhere.”
Stacey estimates she’s spent a few hundred dollars on the “Tortured Poets” era.

Edited June 23 by Teletubby

[Auralegends 4,690]

TV show idea: let these people switch families with people from "Extreme Cheapskates"

[Anderson123 35,558]

The level of cringe is on another level.

[River 104,764]

It's not even convenient for to have all the bonus tracks in different variants, like it's too much work just to change the cds and listen to each of them once

[nATAH 42,206]

i thought they'd all be teens/young adults

[Anderson123 35,558]

She says she’s “always been fascinated by Taylor’s brain, just the way her mind works.” 
-
But then she dropped the ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ acoustic, and my daughter was like, ‘You have to order that one. That’s your favorite song. Order that.’ 

[Reality 71,849]

10 minutes ago, Teletubby said:

Belle, 48

[Decodekid 26,654]

• Belle, 48

• Stephanie, 33

• Emiley, 31

I thought these were people using their parents money I- 

[Bronco 5,700]

I mean these people are no different to collectors of any other artist's memorabilia.

What is odd is the number of them though. Ridiculously high concentration of them in the Swiftie world that I don't see much of in any other fandom that I have any stake in. 

[Nutella 3,959]

• Some people get joy wherever they can find it (joy is scarce, so GET IT!!) 💿💿

• Some people are trying to play their cards correctly & invest in something they predict will be worth more in the future (it won’t) 💿💿💿💿💿

• & some people are sick in the head (deserving compassion, not mockery) 💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿💿

The thing that baffles me: all this fanfare… for someone who is BORING AS DIRT?

You can package it in 500 different boxes- each with a slightly different design- but vanilla ice cream is still vanilla.

Then again, vanilla will always be a popular flavor 🤷🏽‍♂️ 

💰🐄🍨

[GagaGame 2,950]

18 minutes ago, Decodekid said:

• Belle, 48

• Stephanie, 33

• Emiley, 31

I thought these were people using their parents money I- 

Well, I saw a video of a kid going to Target and wanted her sister (I think) to buy one variant even tho already having the standard version

[Real Panda 7,584]

Why is everyone puzzled by the ages that listen to Taylor Swift? Fans come in all ages and besides, Taylor Swift started 2 years before Gaga, first album in 2006 so it would make sense to have older fans.

I don't see whats wrong in collecting these variants. I have collections of books and display figure/statues. I know some people who dont consider themselves collectors but buy lots of one thing. 

[nATAH 42,206]

2 minutes ago, A Real Panda said:

Why is everyone puzzled by the ages that listen to Taylor Swift? Fans come in all ages and besides, Taylor Swift started 2 years before Gaga, first album in 2006 so it would make sense to have older fans.

I don't see whats wrong in collecting these variants. I have collections of books and display figure/statues. I know some people who dont consider themselves collectors but buy lots of one thing. 

because people over 30 tend to make more sensible financial decisions than this

[Yaaaas Gaga 813]

How much did Taylor's team pay these "interviewees"?

[PunkTheFunk 123,468]

There's a sucker born every minute.