Disney+’s ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)’ Concert Film Just Dropped Its Trailer
The sneak peek at the new version of Disney+’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) Concert Film also teases Maroon among its four bonus tracks.
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Taylor Swift opens the bonus vault again for the upcoming streaming debut of her Eras Tour concert film.
The 34-year-old pop star, who is in the middle of the Singapore leg of the world tour, revealed Maroon will be one of the acoustic songs added to the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) concert film which lands at Disney+ on March 15.
Disney dropped a fresh trailer to the film, which featured the snippet of Maroon at the end. The entertainment giant reportedly paid more than $110 million in the deal to score the Eras Tour movie for streaming.
Swift had flagged the song Cardigan plus four of the “surprise” songs which featured during the acoustic sets during the filmed concerts in Los Angeles last year would be added to the 169 minute film.
Swift broke the box office record for a concert film last year when The Eras Tour movie hit cinemas in the US and then around the world for a limited run, taking in more than $400 million.
TAY DROPS ANOTHER VERSION OF NEW ALBUM
It comes after the pop idol announced another edition of her upcoming studio album The Tortured Poets Department at an Eras Tour concert in Singapore.
As she did at the opening Melbourne and Sydney concerts, Swift “revealed” another variant of the record, which is released on April 19, during the surprise song set of night two of the Singapore leg.
The fourth and “final” edition, available for pre-order until March 7, will feature the “bonus” track Black Dog.
The previous three variations, offered in CD, vinyl and cassette, each had a different bonus track - The Manuscript, The Bolter and The Albatross.
Fans across Australia burned the midnight oil to find out what her big announcement would be in Singapore as speculation ramped up yet again, as it did before her opening night in Melbourne, that she would drop the release date for Reputation (Taylor’s Version).
But no, just another version of The Tortured Poets Department.
“I just had a plan for Night 2. I kinda felt you’d be [excited and loud], so I kinda wanted to show you something that no one else has seen before,” Swift, 34, said on Sunday in Singapore.
“If you want to look at the main screen, I want to show you something. This is the final edition of The Tortured Poets Department.”
She continued, “It’s the final cover … [and] there’s a song called ‘The Black Dog.’ I can’t wait for you to hear it, and I just appreciate the enthusiasm.”
There was a lack of enthusiasm for the bonus track roll-out with Swifties calling out the marketing strategy on social media.
Swift used a similar pre-order teaser campaign for the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) release last year when she drip-fed four different vinyl colour editions, each only available for pre-order for 48 hours.
Each comment calling out the variant strategy on the Taylor Nation channels had thousands of likes.
“I am a Swiftie, but I’m so over the myriad of versions with just one added bonus track. It’s giving hyperconsumption and #capitaylism, and it’s just not the vibe,” posted gudrunch.
“YAAAAAAS, another money grab for the fans who are too poor to afford a fourth album. This is so unnecessary,” wrote angelicalvestal.
“Nope, no way, straight to jail. I love you but F all the way off. This is insane. You do not need our money like this. You don’t. Put it all on one album and tell your staff to take a nap,” wrote another fan.
While the album release on streaming platforms will be enough to catapult A Tortured Poets Department to No.1 around the world, Swift’s team are clearly shoring up its fortunes with the 12 physical versions (four variants each in vinyl, CD and cassette) to lock in the chart summit.
As she left Australia after her seven Eras Tour shows, Swift had seven records in the ARIA top 10.
‘MONEY GRAB’
It comes as Swift’s advertorial announcement about The Albatross edition at her opening Sydney concert was slammed by Swifties online as a “money grab” and a “capitalist trick”.
Swift used the winner’s podium at the Grammys earlier this month to promote the release of her new record The Tortured Poets Department on April 19.
The first edition offered via her online store was called The Manuscript for the bonus track.
At the opening concert of her Australian tour at the MCG on February 16, she told fans there would be a new edition of the record featuring bonus track The Bolter available for pre-order.
A week after dropping the news of The Bolter edition, Swift was greeted by huge cheers when she revealed another vinyl version with bonus track The Albatross.
Both new versions were only available to be pre-ordered for four days with The Albatross pre-order closing at 6am on February 27 ahead of the official The Tortured Poets Department album release on April 19.
Fans flooded social media with protests that they wanted just one deluxe version of the new record rather than being drip fed different versions which each cost $64.99 for vinyl and $34.99 for CD.
“I am the biggest fan but guys, seriously, STOP encouraging this model. Do not buy yet another version of the same album. It’s not that she can’t pay rent or something,” wrote one fan on the Taylor Nation post about The Albatross.
“Why can’t we just have ONE deluxe album with all the other songs on? I know we don’t have to buy them all but it’s definitely a money grab/chart topping tactic at this point. Taylor wouldn’t struggle in the slightest even without all of the difference versions,” posted looheez.
Another called out Swift for the upselling model which the pop star also used during the promotion of her 1989 album last year to the disappointment of some fans, when she dropped different coloured vinyl editions every couple of days, giving fans only 48 hours to pre-order each version.
“I’ve been a Taylor fan since Tim McGraw and I have to say that this variant s--t is really turning me off to buying any of Taylor’s music,” wrote the.kush.corner.
“Why are we coming out with 10 different variants for literally the same record?
“It’s extremely wasteful and expensive. Just put all the bonus tracks on one limited edition record. Taylor’s a billionaire it’s not like she needs more money and people are struggling in this economy. No one should own multiple variants of the same record, it’s getting ridiculous.”
Fans have accused the singer of taking advantage of the competitive streak of Swifties to demonstrate their loyalty by buying multiple versions of her records and the extensive range of merchandise she offers for each album release via her online store.
“OG Swiftie here and always will be. But this is so sad to me. She does this because people will. Fans these days do anything to seem ‘loyal’ (In their eyes) to her. Buying 13 different versions of a vinyl or every Cardigan, hundreds of items of merch, etc. News flash: that does not put you in a different club. No amount of merch makes you better than anyone else,” posted candiceisyourtype.
“She does it because she knows people will buy it. If everybody collectively stops trying to be bigger/better/more loyal by spending asinine amounts of money for things she would have to stop doing it.
“The way it has turned into almost a competition of who is best over some damn merch or where you sat on tour (or if you even made it to tour) is so sad to me.
“I miss the old days when being a Swiftie wasn’t a competition. Taylor and fans need to stop together collectively.”
The different editions are less of an artistic exercise as they are a marketing strategy to guarantee a No.1 chart result globally when The Tortured Poet’s Department is released in April.
SWIFTIES’ MASSIVE CASH SPLASH
Being a Swiftie doesn’t come cheap. In fact, if you bought all of the things Taylor Swift has offered for sale over the past 16 months, you have spent more than $15,000.
Swift’s savvy exploitation of her marketing power, paired with her fans’ competitive drive to prove their devotion by buying everything she sells, was instrumental in her busting the billionaire ceiling last year.
The Look What You Made Me Do pop star, who on Sunday night thrilled Aussie fans at her second Sydney show at Accor Stadium, has flexed her marketing acumen over the past 15 years with different versions of her records, T-shirts and Christmas ornaments.
The “shelves” of her online store have bulged with a dizzying array of goods over the past year.
Fans driven by a desire to show their commitment to the Swift cause by buying up big would have “invested” more than $15,000 since the release of her Midnights record in October 2022.
There has been a LOT for sale and most of it limited to a pre-order window of 48 hours to further drive the Swifties’ insatiable appetite for souvenirs to prove their fandom.
Since Midnights, there have been deluxe editions of that album, six singles, the Speak Now and 1989 Taylor’s Version albums, the Eras Tour tickets, flights, accommodation, the Eras Tour Concert film at cinemas and then for rental and hundreds of vinyl, CDs, T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, jewellery, drink bottles and you name it, Swift has her name on it.
RMIT Associate Professor Angel Zhong said Swift Inc’s PR and marketing strategies have been effective at attracting and retaining fans in her billionaire era a well as offering them a sense of community.
Despite the cost of living crisis, they are spending big on the “cultural experience” of being a Swiftie.
“As consumers allocate more of their budget towards Taylor Swift-related expenses, there’s a noticeable substitution effect in other areas of consumer spending,” Assoc Prof Zhong said.
“This is seen in ABS’s data about consumer spending in 2023, where recreation expenses display resilience in growth despite cost of living crisis and rapid interest rate hikes.
“Australians are keen to put their cash towards big events such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Eras tour, but are continuing to pull back on household goods and services spending in an attempt to balance their budgets.”
Many Swifties also regard their souvenirs as assets which could appreciate in value and be resold at a profit in the months or years to come.
“As long as Swift remains a prominent figure in the entertainment industry and continues to cultivate a strong and loyal following, her merchandise is likely to remain sought after by collectors and fans alike,” Assoc Prof Zhong said.
“Therefore, investing in certain pieces of Taylor Swift merchandise could potentially yield returns over time, particularly for items that are considered rare or have special significance within her discography or career trajectory.”
Merchandise mania hit Sydney this week as fans queued up for hours to secure Eras Tour T-shirts, jumpers, and tote bags.
Friends Hannah and Matia braved the heat at a merchandise pop up on Thursday, spending just under $1000 combined for themselves and friends.
“This is our first (Taylor Swift) concert, so we thought we may as well go all out,” Matia said.
“If you don’t buy merch, it’s like you weren’t even there.”
New Zealanders Charlotte and Claire have spent a similar eye-watering amount, splashing just over $1000 on the merchandise.
Donning an arm full of friendship bracelets, Charlotte said she picked up a beige hoodie for her boyfriend, a bracelet for her and her partner’s mum, as well as a sweatshirt and quarter zip hoodie for herself and Claire.
They’ve also never seen Swift live before, which encouraged them to go even harder on merchandise.
“This is special because it’s our first time ever seeing her live and we’ve loved her since we were like six years old,” Charlotte said.
Given they spent so much money on the merchandise, Charlotte joked that “money’s not real, we’re on vacation”.
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Originally published as Disney+’s ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)’ Concert Film Just Dropped Its Trailer
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