FEATURE:
…And Then the Deluxe Edition…
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Is There An Argument for Bringing Back the Physical Single?
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IT is great…
that artists can put out a studio album and then, very shortly, they follow with a Deluxe Edition. It gives fans extra songs. Some say that putting out the same album out – bar a few new tracks – twice in short succession means that fans are being exploited in a way. If it is a digital reissue, then you are not really charging anything. There are artists like Taylor Swift who can put their studio album out and then an expanded or Deluxe Edition. It is not only major artists. I do think it is mainly them, as they have the massive fanbase and I guess there is that demand. One of this year’s best albums, BRAT, has just come out from Charli XCX. Pitchfork report on a deluxe issue from Charli XCX. Called Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not, the title at least is a nod that she knows that it is more or less than same album, with some extra tracks:
“Three days after Charli XCX released her new album Brat, the English pop star has unveiled a deluxe edition of the LP. Brat and It’s the Same But There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not features three new tracks and is out now. “Hello Goodbye” was produced by A. G. Cook; “Guess” was both produced by the Dare and co-written with 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady; and “Spring Breakers,” which samples Britney Spears’ 2003 song “Everytime,” was produced by A. G. Cook, Easyfun, and Jon Shave. Give it a listen below.
While record sales aren’t yet available for Brat until one week after its release, the album has already surpassed 2022’s Crash as Charli XCX’s biggest streaming debut on Spotify; Brat had 15.4 million streams on its release day, whereas Crash racked up 5.9 million. Charli XCX shared four singles before Brat’s release: “Von Dutch,” “Club Classics,” “B2B,” and “360,” the latter of which got a remix featuring Swedish acts Robyn and Yung Lean”.
I do like that artists can be tongue-in-cheek about the situation. I don’t think that it is taking advantage of a successful and popular artist. The plans for the quick expanded BRAT would have been decided upon a while ago, I guess. I do wonder, if artists put out the album with a few new tracks, is that a sign that the artists did not have faith in the material. Are they potential B-sides?! In a lot of cases, the extra tracks are actually fascinating. It may be the case that there was a form of economy and editing. Artists not wanting to put out a studio album with fourteen or fifteen tracks. In some cases, the original album has fourteen or fifteen tracks. So it is probably not an idea to add a few more. I guess a deluxe edition or expanded album means diehards can buy both - or, for those who did not get the original, you can have this wider-ranging album. I guess you cannot really compare the two types of albums. The first version is the one the artist wanted to release. I suppose anything after that is a treat for fans. Tracks that have no place to go. I suppose artists could put them on an E.P., though that might be not be ideal. I have nothing against artists releasing, as Charli XCX says, the same album with a few new tracks. It keeps momentum going and we get more insight into a wonderful release. Songs that were perhaps considered but then did not make the cut. Even if these new tracks are not as great as the original album tracks, it is good that fans get to own them. All of this got me thinking about modern-day physical media.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jorge Fakhouri Filho/Pexels
I suppose any deluxe or expanded albums digitally do not put fans out. Many would prefer to own them but, if artists are worried about expense or not being able to afford both, then having it in a digital form solves that issue. I wonder whether reintroducing singles might be a way that studio albums can come out and these extra tracks can also be released, just not on another albums. Maybe artists are fine as things are but, for fans, many might be spending £10 or more on the same album for a few new songs. I know that physical singles would cost money. Fans do want to own material. Artists could put out a leading single and have these extra tracks as B-sides. Maybe spreading them out over two singles. Given that artists are releasing albums on cassettes and C.D., clearly fans have a desire for physical material beyond vinyl. It is a shame that the single died out. At a time when we are getting so many albums reissued so quickly after they were released, there is this situation of fans paying twice for the same album. Maybe not a massive saving, having single options with B-sides would solve the problem – to an extent at least. Artists could then include demos or actual ‘B-sides’ on the mix and have a single with a few tracks on. It would sort of be like an E.P. but not. Having artists in such form and all this extra material they want to give to fans. I do like that connection and generosity. I do often wonder whether there is this situation for fans where they buy the album but also really want the reissue-re-release. Many can still do that, yet I am aware that many might be priced-out. Sure, if there is a digital release too then they get the same experience anyway. Many want the physical product. If there are albums with extra tracks, it suggests that these could have made their way onto a physical single. Giving fans those tracks before the album comes out would be a real treat.
I suppose the problem around physical singles is what to play them on. There are cassette and C.D. players. Do many younger fans especially find them too old-fashioned or jarring?! Given the reliance on smartphones, it might seem somewhat primitive or long-winded. When they can stream a song instead. Even so, artists are putting out expanded albums on C.D.s. Fans do snap up these and cassettes and then just leave them aside. If they invested in a device alongside having smartphones, then they could have the best of both worlds. I do feel that there is this wonderful excess that means there is call and mobility for the return of proper singles. I do find it slightly odd that studio albums come out and then, days or weeks later, we get the same thing coming back out. It is the only way artists can do it. If we have singles, then these additional tracks already have a home. It means we can focus on the album and not really have the worry about putting it out again with new tracks. Even so, I have nothing against artists doing that. Many fans are happy to have the option. Physical music is very much experiencing this resurgence. Multiple generations investing in albums in multiple forms. It will cause debate, I know. It is a thought I have that will be shared by others. Not just a nostalgia thing, I believe that physical singles could find…
PHOTO CREDIT: Swapnil Sharma/Pexels
A dedicated fanbase.