Taylor Swift’s original six albums under Big Machine have seen a massive surge in streaming numbers after it was revealed that she had purchased her early catalog from Shamrock Holdings. This development allowed fans to finally listen to her original recordings without the ethical concerns that had previously accompanied them, resulting in a dramatic increase in streams and sales.
According to Luminate, streaming for Swift’s entire catalog jumped 55.1% on Friday, with a total of 30.64 million streams in a single day. This surge came despite the fact that Swift had no new music released, highlighting the power of her back catalog. The spike included all of her music, from the original Big Machine albums to her more recent works.
While Luminate did not provide a breakdown by album, Spotify reported striking increases for the six Big Machine albums. The biggest gainer was Speak Now, which saw a global streaming increase of over 430%. Swift’s debut album, Taylor Swift (which still lacks a “Taylor’s Version”), saw a 220% jump in streams. Reputation followed closely with a nearly 160% increase.
The original Fearless album experienced a 160% increase, while Red saw a 150% bump. 1989, the final album in the original six, had the smallest rise in streams, but still saw an impressive 110% increase.
Overall consumption numbers, including sales beyond streaming platforms, are expected to be reported by Luminate in the coming days. All six original Big Machine albums are likely to appear on the Billboard 200 chart next week.
Luminate also reported that Swift’s overall album consumption units reached 31,000 on Friday, compared to an average of 20,000 units per day in the previous 12 days.
Before acquiring the six albums from Shamrock Holdings, Swift had encouraged her fans to avoid the original versions, instead promoting the “Taylor’s Versions” of her re-recorded albums. She also blocked the use of her original songs in film, TV, and advertising, directing music supervisors to her new versions. Now, with the rights to her original masters back in her hands, Swift’s music is once again available for licensing, and her fans can stream her original albums without any ethical concerns.
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