18 Ariana Grande studio acappellas—it’s like listening to the angel sing for 90 minutes straight!!!
Buy it. But it. Link to official website for the album.
Ariana Grande recently released an official a cappella version (e.g. vocals only, no instrumentals) of her whole eternal sunshine deluxe album. Ariana is known for her vocal stacking—on her previous album, Sweetener, the track “get well soon” famously maxed out Pro Tools’ limit of 256 vocal layers. Her producer was like, “Sorry, we can’t add another harmony—you broke the software.” Her new a cappella album is available digitally on her website for just $9.99, which honestly is a pretty reasonable price for such a meticulously crafted vocal showcase. Highly recommended for music geeks.
I genuinely appreciate when artists release genuinely distinct album versions—original, deluxe, instrumental, a cappella—because they offer something new or unique. However, this reminded me of a less admirable industry practice that has been criticized before by one pop icon referencing another:
[Billie Eilish] “I find it really frustrating as somebody who goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable – and then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more.”
Take, for example, Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ Rainbow collection:
For Ms Swift’s ‘Midnights’ a total of 35 physical products, each with its own UPC code, were sold in the United States.
The Rolling Stones released at least 43 variants of their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds with different colored LPs and artwork—yet each contained the exact same tracklist.
Taylor Swift’s upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department is being released in four differently colored vinyl editions, each featuring a unique bonus track, enticing fans to purchase all four.
And the fans really do buy it—all of it. I’m not even going to list sale numbers here; just ask a Swiftie and brace yourself for the enthusiasm. The scale is staggering.
In recent years, collectible packaging—particularly multi-colored vinyl—has become practically mandatory for artists aiming for a No. 1 debut, from Olivia Rodrigo and Beyoncé to Harry Styles and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In a streaming era where digital music lacks a tangible collectible element, vinyl variants and retailer-exclusive bonus tracks are irresistible to dedicated fans.
Dan Runcie, who analyzes the music industry on his podcast and newsletter Trapital, sees this as partly artists and record labels borrowing tactics from sports merchandising.
“The music industry is trying to figure out how to maximize superfans and give them more of what they want,” Runcie said. “Some are willing to pay to have more variants on the wall. It’s no different from sports fans paying up to have rookie cards.”
I’m not knocking Taylor Swift—she is undeniably talented, smart, and a savvy businesswoman—and after all, artists are part of a larger industry ecosystem. Producers, sound engineers, and countless others rely on album sales for their livelihood.
Eilish later clarified on social media, “I wasn’t singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues.”
Hammers, an avid collector of Lana Del Rey and Swift records, disagreed that multiple vinyl editions exploit fan loyalty. Fans aren’t forced into purchases, he argued, and he appreciates artists investing care into their products.
“At the end of the day, they’re all trying to sell their music,” he said, “and it’s one way to sell it.”
True enough—but there’s certainly room for balance between passionate fandom and excessive consumption.
reference
Taylor Swift Sells a Rainbow of Vinyl Albums. Fans Keep Buying Them. NT Times