One would assume that at least part of the reason for Lorde securing the number one album slot in the UK (for the first time) and in the US (for the second time) includes the sales of Virgin in its CD format. A CD billed in parentheticals as a “clear disc.” The look of which plays into Lorde’s overarching theme of the record: full transparency. This made, yes, very clear by the cover art featuring an X-ray of her pelvis, the IUD as visible as the zipper and belt buckle (let’s just say it’s a far cry from the much less clinical [and perhaps even less cynical] cover of Like A Virgin). But rather than pushing a clear vinyl (instead, listeners can buy a “bathwater”-toned one), which has proven to play without issue in the past, Lorde and her team at Universal Music Group opted for the CD format to peddle it. In other words, the format least suited to accommodate this gimmick.
And so, it wasn’t long before fans began to complain that the CD wouldn’t actually play when, er, inserted (certainly not a great endorsement for physical media to a generation that’s already extremely inept at and generally wary of “dealing with” it). Which is when it became quickly evident that Lorde’s particular brand of pretentiousness was, this time around, costing people a fair amount of money. Of course, there’s nothing wrong, per se, with being pretentious. Especially when one is an artist. In fact, the two qualities usually go hand in hand. But things start to get dicier and more annoying when those underlying airs of pomposity start costing “mere mortals” their hard-earned (or even easily-earned) cash.
The problem with Lorde’s hooey clear CD doesn’t just stop at simple customer dissatisfaction or even the fact that it highlights how much people in the music industry have ostensibly forgotten about how tangible items work (or, in this case, how they can’t work when manufactured with or without certain characteristics). No, this is also a matter of reemphasizing the profligacy with which musicians and their handlers put out the tactile version of an album. For it is only in more recent years that the “variant” phenomenon has become so overpowering. An undeniable sales tool wielded shamelessly by record labels and the artists signed to them.
The Lorde and Billie Eilish types are the first to call out the environmental unfriendliness of all these variants (with Taylor Swift getting particular shade thrown at her for doing this [and rightly so]). Yet, at the same time, they’re wastrels in their own right. It’s just that they tell themselves otherwise while assuring fans and casual listeners alike that the “materials” their vinyls and CDs are made out of are (at least) far more organic than the “usual” kinds.
Lorde promises as much about the Clear Disc edition of Virgin, with a key part of the product description being, “NOTE: THIS IS A PLASTIC PRODUCT. ALL PARTS ARE RECYCLABLE INCLUDING DISC” (there’s also an additional self-congratulatory assurance regarding shipping: “All packages will ship via a carbon neutral transit option. This means 100% of carbon emissions from your shipment will be offset by supporting verified carbon reduction projects with our carrier partners”). But those who claim to be “in the know” about eco-friendly practices, Lorde included, ought to be well-aware that there is nothing reassuring about this little “detail.” For it is so often the case that not only is most plastic not recycled, but it actually causes more pollution/destruction to the environment during its disposal process. So no, this is hardly a comfort to purchasers of the Clear Disc edition of Virgin. Particularly not when realizing that they will, in fact, likely be “recycling” that disc since it won’t seem to register on anything other than a PlayStation. And, if we’re being honest, what percentage of Lorde fans are that likely to own a PlayStation?
So sure, Lorde was just trying to be her “kooky, creative” self with this marketing endeavor as it relates to the album’s aesthetic, which she described, in all her synesthesiac glory, as follows: “THE COLOUR OF THE ALBUM IS CLEAR. LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY.” But the cost of what amounts to, ultimately, her pretension rather than her artistry is a defective product that will only do yet another disservice to the environment. For even if fans don’t “recycle” the disc, more likely to instead keep it as a collector’s item, it still means this version of the CD was truly manufactured for nothing, least of all its purpose of being listenable on the very device it was designed for.
As a result, UMG will likely try to manufacture this iteration of the CD all over again so that it actually will be playable (or hell, here’s a novel idea, why not just make a “classic” CD, in all its laser-readable splendor?). Meaning more resources, more energy, more wear-and-tear on the environment in various “subtle” and innocuous ways. Something that Lorde, incidentally, seemed to be much more concerned about during her little loved Solar Power era, when she made a big to-do about not releasing a traditional CD version of that album in her bid to be more eco-conscious.
Alas, maybe she realized that it takes being a savage bitch to get a critically and commercially successful record. Complete with hawking bunk CDs that contribute to the overall sales.
