Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, K-Pop Acts See a Huge Boost in 2024 Sales With ‘Variants’: The Same Album in Different Packages

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Exclusive bonus tracks… Five different shades of vinyl… Tour booklet with exclusive photos… “Fans First” exclusive picture disc… Boxed set with candle, hoodie and CD… Target exclusive, Amazon exclusive, Urban Outfitters exclusive… exclusive exclusive exclusive… “Variants” — multiple different vinyl, CD or cassette versions of an already-released album or EP — have become a booming business in the music industry, helping to drive sales and chart numbers for artists ranging from superstars to cult favorites.

According to Luminate Data’s 2024 mid-year report released Tuesday morning, the top 10 U.S. physical albums of 2024 carried an average of seven different vinyl variants, two cassettes and 13 CDs (the latter mostly for K-pop acts).

Unquestionably in Taylor Swift’s case, they’ve helped her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department” to hold the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks, three months past its April 19 release date (a rarity in these short-attention-span times).

Each time a contender for the No. 1 spot rises up, she drops new, limited-edition variants that give the album’s sales another boost.