The cold war between the giants of pop music — or at least their rabid fanbases and record companies — morphed into a digital arms race this week, with Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish both vying for the No. 1 spot on next week's Billboard album chart.
Swift, 34, has spent the past four weeks atop the Billboard 200 with her smash-hit new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which has garnered more than 3.6 million album-equivalent sales (counting physical purchases, downloads and streams) to date. But Eilish's well-received new album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” has 10 songs that are popular on streaming services like Spotify, giving her a shot at a No. 1 debut.
I wish it were that simple.
A rivalry has already been stoked among die-hard fans of both artists, which began in March when Eilish said that “some of the biggest artists in the world” sell multiple copies of the same album on vinyl, “which increases sales and numbers and makes them more money.”
The tactic, which Eilish called “wasteful” and harmful to the environment, is widespread but has been used particularly extensively and effectively by Swift. (These comments came before Eilish's brother and key collaborator Finneas was once heard joking on a hot mic that “Taylor Swift sued me” after performing with an artist who had criticized her work.)
Eilish, 22, later said she didn't mean to diss any particular artists with her comments about the record, adding that she was in on the act. (Both artists' work is available in a variety of physical formats, with Eilish emphasizing sustainability.)
Still, when Swift released a special digital version of “Tortured Poets” last week ahead of Eilish's album release, which was available for 24 hours only and included a previously unreleased “First Draft of Phone Notes” demo, it was seen by many as a misguided move. The showdown has become a notable one, especially in the online world where pop fan loyalties can get bloody.
Eilish quickly released her own new digital versions of “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” adding vocal tracks to each song. This strategy, where listeners invested in the chart success of their favorite songs are encouraged to stream or buy more with bonus content, is popular and common, especially in the modern music industry's chess-like battle for bragging rights. But it didn't end there.
On Tuesday, Swift released a remix of her hit “Fortnight,” and on Wednesday, Eilish posted a new remix of “L'Amour De Ma Vie.” Then on Thursday, the final day of Billboard's tracking week, Eilish expanded the album again, releasing limited editions of slowed-down and sped-up versions of each song. (Eilish's label, Darkroom/Interscope, dropped the price of “Hit Me Hard and Soft” to $4.99 as an iTunes download, a chart-oriented move common in the early days of digital sales, while Swift's “Tortured Poets” remained at $14.99. Swift's “Fortnight” remix is ​​priced at 69 cents, cheaper than the usual single price of 99 cents or $1.29.)
Then on Thursday night, with just six hours left in the sales window this week, Swift made what appeared to be a final push: She released three additional digital versions for sale on her website, each featuring new songs from her Hellas Tour show in Paris earlier this month. The special editions were only available for one day.
In midweek projections ahead of the latest bonus release, Swift had a slight lead with an estimated 350,000 units to Eilish's 300,000, according to Hits magazine, whose tally sometimes differs from the official figures. (Eilish's previous album, “Happier Than Ever,” sold 238,000 units in its first week, just below the 313,000 units her 2019 debut album made.)
Billboard magazine reported that the race “could be close,” and even unaffiliated fan groups like the Arianators, Katy Cats and Little Monsters were being urged by fans to support one side or the other.
Representatives for Eilish and Swift declined to comment. Final vote counts are expected to be released early next week.