Special edition vinyl albums - fans delight or cynical marketing ploy?
Special edition vinyl albums cause some fans delight – but others suspect a cynical marketing ploy Glenn Fosbraey , University of Winchester Streaming may still be the preferred method of music consumption for the vast majority of us in 2024, but vinyl, cassettes, and even the long-unloved CD format have shown resurgence in recent years . In fact, physical sales are so healthy that HMV has risen from the ashes and returned to its flagship store on Oxford Street . And much of this can be attributed to pop star Taylor Swift, who currently has seven of her albums in the vinyl charts , including all of the top three places via 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and Midnights. According to Lawrence Montgomery , the managing director of Rough Trade record stores, Swift owes her success in part to appealing to a younger contingent of fans by turning her albums into collectables. She has done this through the release of multiple alternate album covers or disc colou