Billie Eilish isn’t here for “wasteful packaging” and questionable sales tactics.
While discussing her push for sustainability within her career with Billboard, the “What Was I Made For?” hitmaker criticized unnamed “big artists” for using uneconomical and seemingly unethical methods to sell and package their physical albums and vinyls.
“We live in this day and age where, for some reason, it’s very important to some artists to make all sorts of different vinyl and packaging … which ups the sales and ups the numbers and gets them more money and gets them more…” she explained in an interview published Thursday.
Billie Eilish criticized “big artists” for creating several versions of a vinyl or CD during an interview with Billboard published Thursday.Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
She said the tactic is unethical and environmentally wasteful.REUTERS00:0000:00EXPLORE MORE
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“I can’t even express to you how wasteful it is,” she further vented. “It is right in front of our faces and people are just getting away with it left and right, and I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable — and then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more.”
Detailing her annoyance with artists’ desire to have best-selling projects, she added, “It’s so wasteful, and it’s irritating to me that we’re still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money — and it’s all your favorite artists doing that s–t.”
While her “Happier Than Ever” vinyl, released in 2021, came in eight variants, the black versions were made of 100 percent recycled black vinyl and wrapped in shrink wrap made from sugar cane. Her colored options were also created with recycled materials.
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“It’s some of the biggest artists in the world making f–king 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more,” Eilish slammed.Getty Images
Speaking of the environmental aspect of the strategy, she added, “I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable.”Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Eilish also helped fund REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project, which aims to eliminate carbon emissions created by the music industry.
While the 22-year-old Oscar recipient did not name-drop any specific artists who create several versions of their hard-copy projects, many Taylor Swift fans assumed she was referring to the “Cruel Summer” singer, as Swift is known for selling multiple versions of her albums.
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For instance, there are four versions of her “Tortured Poets Department,” an album she announced at the 2024 Grammys and will be releasing on April 19. Each album comes with the same 16 base songs, but each version has a unique bonus track and album artwork.
Swifties were quick to assume the “Bad Guy” hitmaker was speaking about Taylor Swift.AFP via Getty Images
There are four variants of her upcoming album, “Tortured Poets Department.”REUTERS
Swifties have been known to buy several copies of the same album or vinyl to own each version.AFP via Getty Images
Swift’s 2023 album, “Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version),” holds the record for the largest sales week on vinyl in U.S. history, which Forbes partially attributed to the albums’ variants. It’s no secret that Swifties will buy multiple vinyls to own each unique version.
Reacting to Eilish’s comments, one Swiftie on X wrote, “The dig at Taylor and other similar artists about charts and numbers was unnecessary and detracts from her original point. Billie herself put out multiple vinyl variants (sustainably) so her point about chart and number obsession is hypocritical.”
“Billie was literally describing Taylor’s tactic with TTPD. It was so unnecessary,” another tweeted.
Others called out Eilish for being hypocritical, as her “Happier Than Ever” vinyl, released in 2021, came in eight variants.
However, Eilish argued her vinyls were created from and packaged with sustainable materials.Billie EilishWhat do you think? Post a comment.
Yet a third person sepculated, “Right she didnt ‘name’ taylor but the way she was talking, she knows exactly who ppl gonna attack.”
While Swift may come to mind in relation to Eilish’s statement, the 34-year-old global superstar is not the only musician to sell a vinyl or album with variants.
Ariana Grande currently has four versions of her “eternal sunshine” album in her store, while Olivia Rodrigo released a deluxe version of her hit 2023 album, “GUTS,” last Friday.
