Artists are releasing more natural variations than ever before. But high on the map isn't the only goal

In May, Taylor Swift turned 14^u #1 album on the Billboard 200 with the help of 14 different vinyl releases Department of Tormented Poets, which sold an astonishing 859,000 units in the album's debut week. It has now topped the Billboard 200 for eight straight weeks, launching additional variations, proving the pop superstar has mastered the art of giving superfans what they want.

Swift isn't alone in upping her camouflage game. Luminate looked the number of physical variations — defined as distinct UPCs per work — in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart each week since early 2019, and found that the number has trended upward since that year, when the average number of physical variations in the top 10 was 3.3 per week, according to data shared with Advertising sign. While that number dropped to 2.8 per week in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on release schedules and supply chains — physical album sales also fell, from 73.5 million units in 2019 to 68 million units in 2020 due to a sharp decline in CD sales — the average number of physical variations in the top 10 has risen sharply in the years since the pandemic.

Releasing albums in different colors, formats and packages has proven to be a smart move for prominent artists aiming for the top of the chart. In 2021, by Adele 30 debuted atop the Billboard 200 with a Target CD exclusive, vinyl exclusives at Amazon and Walmart, and three items sold through its official website: a cassette and two deluxe box sets.

Like he did me Department of Tormented Poets, Swift has often topped the Billboard 200 with the help of physical variations. The album of 2022 Midnight had the longest week for an album in nearly seven years. And in 2023, she 1989 (Taylor Edition) had its biggest week in nearly a decade with the help of 15 collectible physicals.

Also 2023, by Travis Scott Utopia reached No. 1 thanks to 84 variations, as the album was available in three different tracklists and several CD and LP variations, including zine and merchandise packages. That same year, Fall Out Boy's So much (for) Stardust it had 116 physical variations, according to Luminate, though it only reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

CD variants have helped many K-pop artists achieve high debuts on the Billboard 200. K-pop fans have long requested collectibles from their favorite artists, and in South Korea, labels use lottery-style marketing strategies and they pack CDs of merchandise — even though many fans don't own CD players. On March, Together with YOU by TWICE debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 with the help of 14 CD variations. “For fans, it's not just about buying music.” Bernie Chosaid the head of DFSB Kollective, a Korean music export agency Advertising sign in 2020. “You show your faith.”

But natural variations are not the exclusive domain of albums that are popular enough to reach the top 10. “For some records, many variations can it supports a chart position, but it's not the main driver for Concord,” he says Joe Dentexecutive vice president of operations at Concord Label Group;

“Fans naturally want to support their favorite artists, but they often want to support a particular store or online store they love as well,” continues Dent. “We try to meet those fans wherever they are.” For example, Concord's Rounder Records made vinyl versions of Sierra Ferrell's Path of Flowers It's available as an exclusive at indie record stores, Magnolia Record Club and Spotify Fans First, and several other vinyl variants are sold through her website and the Rounder Records website, Dent says.

AWAL, home to such indie artists as Laufey and JVKE, has a similar mindset. “The way we see fitness never starts with the commercial opportunity,” says the CEO Lonnie Olynyk. “It starts with how the artist wants to express themselves and what fans are likely to love. And what it really comes down to is how an artist can deepen the relationship they have with their fans.”

Variations can also be a marketing strategy for catalog albums that are not likely to achieve high chart position. “We use variations as an opportunity to excite the market,” he says Rel Lafarge, president/COO at Reservoir Music. “For example, if we have something that hasn't been printed in decades, we might want to do a color variation to bring it back to the market as a new, unique and fun physical product.” Reservoir's Tommy Boy Records took this approach for its upcoming reissue Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force1986 album Planet Rock choosing limited edition pressing with tricolor splatter.

Each additional variation adds to the complexity of releasing an album. This challenge was compounded by supply chain issues related to COVID, which led to longer lead times and searches for alternative manufacturers. But while logistical challenges remain, Lafargue says, they are not as persistent. “While it can be difficult to manage multiple variations or exclusives instead of a single release, it's worth the extra effort to expose the record to different retailers and get it into the hands of even more fans,” he says.

The proliferation of natural variations is not surprising. Streaming has made music both abundant and easily accessible — almost to a fault. Some artists now release physical albums a week or two before making them available on streaming platforms. So while chart position remains a big motivator for many, there's also something to be said for the way natural variations can foster a sense of closeness between artists and fans.

Artists are “trying to reduce the amount of digital music that's out there,” Olinick says. “Transferring that connection to the real world, whether through live shows or through physical products, has a huge impact.”