r/Music • u/ebradio • 14h ago

article Taylor Swift sparks chart-blocking accusations with new “Patient Zero” alternate versions

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-sparks-chart-blocking-accusations-with-new-patient-zero-alternate-versions
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96

u/NooblordBG 13h ago

The notion that there's a point where you as an artist become successful enough that you have to be careful about releasing music is so beyond ridiculous that it's not funny.

45

u/Dense_Medicine_3866 13h ago

It's right about the point where you stop doing it for art's sake and become known for doing it for greed's sake.

11

u/doublegoodproleish 13h ago

"Releasing music." You mean releasing remixes of a song you just released for the express purpose of blocking another artist's success?

There's a sports term for that. "Running up the score."

23

u/Fuzzy_Worldliness320 11h ago

olivia released a remix the same day of tate’s comeback. so olivia was trying to block tate’s success? do yall realize how slow yall sound?

1

u/Awsomethingy 10h ago

You see it in a lot of places and different ways. Pop Secret popcorn has like 13 different butter types. Movie theater butter, double butter, deluxe butter, homestyle, super buttered, and it’s only purpose is that it requires more shelf space so it #1, looks like the only trusted brand at first, and #2, pushes out every other competing popcorn brand that just has one box.

Re-releasing to block competition is a constant in marketing. Taylor Swift is just doing the Pop Secret thing with charts is all. And many others do so

36

u/Dry-Mongoose-5804 13h ago

It doesn’t block anybody she made them free on streaming which takes away sales. Digital sales are worth more on billboard than streams. If her goal was maximising charting here she’d have not made them free.

26

u/estedavis 12h ago

You realize Olivia’s release this week is also a remix right? ….right?

-14

u/doublegoodproleish 12h ago

Oh gosh that changes absolutely nothing. 

25

u/estedavis 12h ago

So Olivia releasing a remix = releasing music. Taylor releasing a remix = blocking other artists. Gotcha. Good logic there.

-22

u/Dense_Medicine_3866 12h ago

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that one was done as a direct response to the other.

19

u/estedavis 12h ago

How do you know that?

-18

u/Dense_Medicine_3866 12h ago

Because it's a very well known pattern and has been for years? Are we playing dumb now 😭

16

u/estedavis 12h ago

Sure, Jan.

-5

u/Dense_Medicine_3866 12h ago

I see you got your quick wit from Mother herself 🥴

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u/novangla 10h ago

Correct, Olivia announced a release last-minute after Taylor had already announced this one. It wasn’t the causation this narrative implies.

7

u/tswiftdeepcuts 8h ago

yeah taylor announced hers first and olivia announced her afterwards. maybe you’re right

-2

u/Dense_Medicine_3866 7h ago

You positive about that? Olivia and Chappell announced Expectations on October 13. Taylor announced her "surprise" new song versions just yesterday.

3

u/jellytwins101 3h ago

She actually announced them last month.

0

u/Dense_Medicine_3866 3h ago

Oh? And what was the release date she announced?

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u/doublegoodproleish 12h ago

Taylor = never wrong. Everyone else = jealous of Taylor. 

Swiftie logic 

14

u/estedavis 12h ago edited 12h ago

Or none of them are trying to block each other? I don’t think anyone is jealous of Taylor. I think they’re all doing their own thing and releasing their music. I’m personally a fan of both artists in this case. Y’all are the ones applying malicious intent to just one person.

7

u/loveheaddit 12h ago

expectations is a remix?

11

u/estedavis 12h ago

Yes, it’s a remix of the song Expectations on her album that came out in June.

0

u/loveheaddit 11h ago

right.. so who was olivia blocking on the charts by releasing this?

3

u/novangla 10h ago

Tate McRae. Or, you know. Whatever, no one, you can listen to all three songs.

2

u/estedavis 10h ago

No one, my argument is that no one is blocking anyone

25

u/shes_a_gdb 12h ago

How is it running up the score? She's not stopping anyone from scoring. It's her fault that she got this big? She can't release more music because it might effect someone else releasing music at the same time?

15

u/Shockingandawesome 11h ago

I agree. She's not stopping other songs being purchased. Perhaps chart companies shouldn't include remixes of other chart songs, but it's not a big deal.

0

u/Fuck-WestJet 11h ago

Being big has nothing to do with releasing 34 different versions of the same album in a single year.

-10

u/doublegoodproleish 12h ago

Save it. She's a grifter and releasing a remix of a song she literally just released isn't "artistry."

Swifties...

11

u/tiffasaurusrex 12h ago

OR released the remix, TS released new songs...

9

u/estedavis 12h ago edited 12h ago

Olivia’s release is also a remix of a song that she just released in the summer 😭 the double standards are so crazy. Let them both live. You can listen to both songs.

7

u/shes_a_gdb 12h ago

Oh no not a remix!!

-4

u/doublegoodproleish 12h ago

Oh no not another female possibly succeeding!

9

u/estedavis 12h ago

If Taylor was trying to block Olivia, why didn’t she release anything when Olivia dropped her album earlier this summer?

8

u/bndwgnfn 12h ago

I’m confused, has she come out and said that she does this to stop other people from getting a number one? Or is it speculation based on her release pattern

26

u/estedavis 12h ago

It’s entirely speculation based on her release pattern, but also no one pays attention to the millions of times she doesn’t drop music when another pop girl drops music. They just apply malicious intent to whenever Taylor decides to drop music.

8

u/bndwgnfn 12h ago

Ah I see. Kinda what I figured but people talk about it with so much certainty that I wasn’t sure

9

u/RoseTheta 9h ago

It's especially blatant with this one because Taylor's release of these was known weeks ago, Olivia is the one dropping on the day someone else is releasing new music. If she was actually trying to block someone she'd release a full album the same day as Olivia, Arianna, B8llie ,Miley, whoever, but that hasn't happened.

The amazing thing is everyone can listen to Taylor's for free and you don't have to buy anything at all. Also you can listen to all the songs or none of them so "blocking" makes zero sense.

1

u/beldaran1224 1h ago

"Express purpose"...lol

1

u/InstanceOk1920 10h ago

Olivia’s release is also a remix tho?

2

u/EhWhateverDawg 10h ago

There's releasing a regular single or even a remix, then there's having 12 versions of a song (or album) waiting that you strategically release whenever it looks like somene else might take over the number 1 spot from you.

It is not against the rules mind you, so she's just playing the chart game. She's allowed, more power to her. But it is disingenuous to pretend like "oh so what everyone else does it ((shrug))" when people complain, because no everyone else does not do that LOL.

People do a bunch of variants release week and then a deluxe album later on, and maybe a remix or two during the era. Taylor deploys these things like missles to keep her chart position.

1

u/Douchieus2 10h ago

If the idiot fans didn't yearn for the slop we'd be out of business

-5

u/proproctologist 13h ago

This is a pattern with her though. The earliest example I can think of is when she put her entire discography on Spotify on the same day Katy Perry released Witness

1

u/jojo_mimi 5h ago

THIS! Lmao it's a common practice in the music industry nowadays, and everyone is doing it. She gets the most hate since she's been around for a long time and extremely popular. It is also fun for the fans. Olivia Rodrigo literally dropped 3 different variations of the MV for 'Drop Dead', but of course no one raises a question there. Taylor is quite literally the only one making headlines with her variation.

-4

u/DarthNeoFrodo 12h ago

What? She constantly purposely releases variants during other artists releases. The same fan buys all 6 variants or has FOMO. This is bad for everyone but Taylor

4

u/CoffinFlop 10h ago

An artist releases music every Friday. You’re always bound to release something on the same day as someone else lol

2

u/tswiftdeepcuts 8h ago

she announced hers before olivia

-7

u/Dawesfan 13h ago

Absolutely insane. Imagine telling an athlete to slow down and get to second place so some else that tried really hard gets first.

1

u/doublegoodproleish 13h ago

Taylor Swift was born on third and acts like she hit a triple 

0

u/ChickpeaDemon 6h ago

Imagine an athlete, in a desperate bid to keep the title, throwing out unnecessary hurdles for all competing to jump over, as they sprint, unabated to the top spot of a race they weren’t even registered in.

-5

u/lambentstar 12h ago

Framing this as needing to be “careful” is fucking laughable. It’s a strategic move to suppress competition. Don’t be naive and ignorant. She’s a calculating and aggressive woman in this space, as proven by her interpersonal dynamic with all her peers. She’s betrayed many of them. Stop running PR for a shitty billionaire.