Behind the strategy keeping artists at the top of the charts

“Brat Summer” may have ended – but Charli XCX’s latest hit album is still alive and well.

Last week, the British singer released a remixed version called Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, featuring 20+ guest artists with fresh takes on the songs.

• The move is part of Charli XCX’s re-release strategy allowing her to remain atop the charts months after the album’s original release – a strategy that’s becoming increasingly commonplace.

More songs = more streams. In the streaming era, artists are incentivized to release as many songs and album versions as possible, since significant raw listening numbers can boost albums to the top of streaming charts and grant them favor from Spotify’s algorithm.

• A prime example is Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which has 37 different variations (and counting) since debuting this past April. Swift’s album has spent 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts to date, thanks in large part to her team’s re-release strategy.

👀 Looking ahead… Experts say the album re-release trend is likely to stick around for the foreseeable future, since the practice is popular with today’s consumers who haven’t already invested in a CD or vinyl – and don't feel ripped off getting extra music from their favorite artists.