Author: djfrosty

It’s been a week and a half of celebration for Swifties, following Taylor Swift‘s May 30 announcement of her triumph in buying the masters of her early catalog — six full-length albums and various assorted other releases — back from private equity firm Shamrock Holdings.

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The news that Swift’s back catalog was now entirely hers also came with her revelation that while the superstar singer-songwriter had already finished all of her expected Taylor’s Version re-recording of her 2006 self-titled debut album, the final of her first six albums to be re-recorded — 2017’s Reputation — was still less than a quarter complete. Though the long-anticipated Taylor’s Version of that fan favorite does not appear to be coming anytime soon, all news is good news when it comes to Swift’s streaming fortunes — and indeed, her entire catalog got a boost from the recent headlines, led by Reputation bounding from No. 78 to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

How surprising is that Reputation jump? And what could be the next event to send Swift’s catalog screaming back up the charts? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

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1. Taylor Swift’s Reputation rebounds from No. 78 to 5 on this week’s Hot 100, following her announcement that she had reacquired her masters. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you by this chart surge for the album?

Hannah Dailey: I would say 4. It’s not surprising at all to me that Reputation is the album fans immediately flocked to after the acquisition announcement, given how much anticipation there had been for Rep TV over the past few years. But I am a little surprised that it climbed as far as it did, because a 73-spot leap is insane.  

Josh Glicksman: At best, a passing “Huh, how about that?” level of surprise, which equates to a 2 or maybe a low 3. Sweeping gains for Taylor Swift at any point, for any reason, should not really floor anyone who has been keeping tabs on the Billboard charts for the past two decades, particularly in the streaming era. Combine her massive announcement with the ever-growing anticipation of Reputation’s rerelease — and the comfort among her fan base to now resume listening to the original album — and a Billboard 200 that is relatively stagnant, and the runway was wide open for this sort of thing.

Jason Lipshutz: A 2. Taylor Swift buying back her masters was enormous news in the pop world, activating a fan base at a rare moment of (relative) downtime for the superstar. Her entire catalog received a streaming surge, but naturally, Reputation received the biggest bump, after years of Swifties waiting for Reputation (Taylor’s Version); that day may never come now, but with Swift regaining ownership of her fiercely beloved 2017 album, the streaming party was on, and Reputation enjoyed a predictably huge rise back into the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

Danielle Pascual: Honestly, 1. Since her first re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), dropped in April 2021, Reputation (Taylor’s Version) seems to have always been what fans have been the most excited for. I vividly remember that before Midnights was announced at the 2022 MTV VMAs, theories flooded Twitter/X about “clowning for rep tv.”  And that was two albums (and two Taylor’s Versions) ago! It is one of her most iconic eras, and now that she owns it, it makes total sense to me that her fiercest supporters — who’ve boycotted those first six albums since Taylor posted that original letter in 2019 — have flocked back to it.

Andrew Unterberger: 1. A friend asked on Friday for my prediction of where it would re-chart and I answered “top five,” so.

2. Most of the rest of Swift’s albums catalog also gains this week, with four of her albums even re-entering the Billboard 200. Are any of the movers in her catalog this week unexpected to you for how big (or how small) their gains were?

Hannah Dailey: I guess I’m a little surprised that albums like Midnights (up 75-50) and Folklore (up 69-52) shot up as much as they did, since they’re kind of unrelated to the acquisition news. But I’m definitely surprised that both Speak Nows reentered the chart (No. 170 for the original and No. 185 for the Taylor’s Version), while Fearless and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) did not. If I was going to pick between the two, I would’ve predicted more love for Fearless – though as a Speak Now diehard, I’m happy to see it.

Josh Glicksman: I’m slightly surprised at both the original and rerelease of Speak Now not making a larger splash in their reentries on the Billboard 200, but perhaps that’s rooted in my own internal bias towards the album. Additionally, it’s not shocking that fans are still gravitating toward her more recent album releases — particularly given that her chart movement this week is largely driven by streaming activity — but I would’ve expected some of the original versions of her reacquired catalog to overtake their respective rereleases. (The Taylor’s Version of 1989 still outranks the original, No. 61 to No. 73; Red (Taylor’s Version) is No. 147 while the original is not on the chart.)

Jason Lipshutz: I’m a little surprised by the rises of some of the re-recorded albums, like 1989 (Taylor’s Version) moving up 19 spots to No. 61 and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) re-entering the chart. The news of the recordings purchase was focused on her six original albums, not the Taylor’s Version full-lengths that she began putting out in 2021… but such is the demand for all things Taylor, where, in a scenario in which those original albums get re-embraced by fans, the re-records still get an uptick in listens, too.

Danielle Pascual: I’m shocked that neither Fearless nor Fearless (Taylor’s Version) are on this week’s chart. The former was the album that won Swift her first album of the year Grammy and kickstarted her rise to megastar status, and the latter marked the beginning of Taylor’s re-recording journey. It contains some of her most popular songs — including her first-ever Hot 100 top 5 hits, “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” — so I at least expected it to enter the chart in some way. On the other hand, I definitely saw a big chart moment for the original 1989 coming (it re-enters at No. 73). I wouldn’t be the first to admit that the OG “Style” is better than the “Taylor’s Version,” although, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) does contain some excellent From the Vault tracks!

Andrew Unterberger: While my “top five” prediction proved right on for Reputation, my “just outside the top 10” prediction for the self-titled album…. not so much. Taylor Swift did re-enter the Billboard 200, but only at No. 64, which is obviously much lower than I expected. I suppose I overestimated the sentimentality around Swift’s debut — and since we actually still may get that Taylor’s Version at some point, maybe fans are still waiting for that moment to dive back in anyway.

3. While Swift admitted she had not yet gotten through much of the Reputation re-recording at the time of her announcement, she also said the re-recording of her self-titled debut had already been completed. Do you think we’ll see the full release of that Taylor’s Version – and if so, about when? 

Hannah Dailey: I get the sense that she’s ready to close the door on all things Taylor’s Version and Eras, especially now that she owns all her work. But since she’s already spent all that time and effort re-recording Debut, there’s no reason not to release it, especially knowing how much fans want it. I bet we’ll get it soon, probably by the end of the year – maybe in October to honor the month it originally dropped.  

Josh Glicksman: Yes, but I wouldn’t expect it any time soon unless she needs a push in momentum for some reason, which is rarely, if ever, the case with her. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Taylor’s Version of her self-titled album appear in fragments — rerecorded fan favorites that are webstore exclusives and packaged to new releases or vault tracks that arrive just in time to be considered for awards season. At some point, I think it’ll arrive in full, but it might come in drips first.

Jason Lipshutz: “I really love how it sounds now,” Swift wrote about Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) when she announced that she had bought back her masters. If that’s the case, there’s no way it’s never seeing the light of day. Next year for the 20th anniversary would make sense, but if we don’t receive a new studio album in 2025, the already-finished re-recorded debut album would be a lovely consolation prize this year.

Danielle Pascual: I am pretty certain we will see Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) sometime next year though, as it would be the perfect way to celebrate her debut album’s 20th anniversary.

Andrew Unterberger: October 24, 2026 — or whenever the closest Friday to that anniversary date is. Mark your calendars now.

4. Swiftie fandom is as such that it feels like almost any major development in Swift’s career (or life) leads to major gains in her catalog. What do you think the next such occasion will be for her that may have a similar bearing on her chart movement? 

Hannah Dailey: An obvious answer would be that she announces a new album, but I do reckon we’re probably getting close to TS12. Beyond that, it could be anything. Maybe Travis Kelce will propose, and her love-song canon — from most of Lover to “So High School” and “The Alchemy” on Tortured Poets – will get a major boost.  

Josh Glicksman: It’s easy to speculate that a long-anticipated, highly-speculated question from a certain NFL tight end could cause such a gain, but the more likely answer to me here is that’ll it come more naturally when she’s gearing up for another album release, be it of fully new material or one of the remaining Taylor’s Versions. But how fun would it be if we got a new single from Swift out of the blue to celebrate her reacquisition of the catalog? All I’m saying is: The song of the summer season is upon us; it’s not too late, Taylor!

Jason Lipshutz: Maybe a major change in her personal life that would cause a huge spike for “Love Story,” with Swifties posting the lyrics “Go pick out a white dress/ It’s a love story, baby, just say ‘Yes’” into infinity? The world is waiting for Swift and Travis Kelce to make an engagement announcement; who knows if it will happen, or happen anytime soon, but if and when it does, I fully expect every romance-related Swift song to explode on streaming services. 

Danielle Pascual: It’s hard to imagine any other moment would kickstart gains as major as this. The back-and-forth of Taylor’s masters has been top of mind for both her and her fans since the drama began six years ago, and now that chapter is finally closed. That being said, if she wanted to continue this momentum for her original albums, I think it would be smart to re-release vinyl editions of the originals, whether as some sort of collector’s set or individually. The Record Store Day editions of albums like 1989 and Red are highly sought after for vinyl-collecting Swifties (they go for upwards of thousands on the resale market), and I’m sure the fans would flock to any sort of special re-issues, therefore triggering new gains on the Billboard 200.

Andrew Unterberger: I’ll swipe a prediction from our Charts team’s Trevor Anderson and say that the next big Taylor bump will come when she’s announced as the headliner for a certain February 2026 gig at Levi’s Stadium in California.

5. Since we’re unlikely to get it at this point anyway, what would have been your ultimate dream get for a From the Vault Reputation (Taylor’s Version) track?

Hannah Dailey: Having Charli xcx on a Vault song would’ve been legendary. Charli opened for Taylor on the Reputation Tour, so it would’ve been such a cool full-circle moment to see them reunite for something Reputation-related almost a decade later, especially now that Charli has had so much success with Brat. Charli also could’ve elevated the electro-pop feel Taylor experimented with a lot on the original Rep, and it would’ve been an epic way for both women to put those “Sympathy Is a Knife” feud rumors to bed. 

Josh Glicksman: If her latest few singles are any indication, Reneé Rapp feels like she would’ve met the Reputation moment and run with it — so I would’ve loved to get her as an FTV guest collaborator.

Jason Lipshutz: The mash-up between “New Year’s Day,” “Long Live” and “The Architect” is still echoing in my head after seeing it performed at Swift’s final stop on her Eras Tour. I was hoping against hope that we’d get it (or another “New Year’s Day” mash-up) with Reputation (Taylor’s Version), but then again, it’s not so bad that that performance belongs to that singular moment forever.

Danielle Pascual: My number one pick for a collaborator on a From the Vault track is definitely Beyoncé. There were a lot of rumors surrounding a team-up after the two showed up at each other’s concert film premieres at the end of 2023, and it would be awesome to see that come into fruition for a brand new Reputation era track. Beyond that — this is a huge reach, but my dream is for Taylor to re-release Reputation in full as a collab album. I’d want all 15 of the album’s original tracks to have a different feature with only female artists. I can see Doechii doing Kendrick Lamar’s part on “Bad Blood,” Sabrina Carpenter on “Call It What You Want” and Halsey on “Don’t Blame Me.” Also, how full-circle would it be to see Olivia Rodrigo on “New Year’s Day”?! Never say never…

Andrew Unterberger: Many fans might answer this question hoping for a full solo version of “End Game,” without the Future and Ed Sheeran feature appearances. I say go the other way with it: Let’s get a full-on…. well, I don’t think we could ever credibly say “posse cut” about a Taylor Swift-led song, but an extended remix with even more pop star guest verses, anyway. Maybe her Reputation Tour openers Camilla Cabello and/or Charli XCX could’ve added 16 bars? Perhaps they could’ve passed the mic to Florence Welch, a future Tortured Poets supporting player and an obvious influence on some Reputation cuts? And then for the final guest: Would a tell-’em-how-you-feel verse from Justin Timberlake, then undergoing some reputational concerns of his own, have been a great idea or a catastrophic one? Dunno, but I’d certainly be interested to find out the answer.