500 supermarkets in the US put Taylor Swift's album The Life of a Showgirl on sale at midnight

This is an unprecedented event in the music industry for Taylor Swift, when 500 supermarkets across the US opened simultaneously at 0:00 on October 3 to release the album The Life of a Showgirl.

Target opened midnight sales for Taylor Swift's new album at 500 stores - Photo: Variety

It sounds like a trip down to the 1980s and 1990s, but Target announced they would be holding a "midnight release" event for the album. The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift.

"Midnight release" is a term popular in the entertainment industry from the 1980s to the 2000s, when physical music was at its peak. It refers to record stores opening precisely at midnight for fans to gather and line up to buy new albums, turning the release into a community cultural event.

This tradition is usually only seen in major cities, with a few dozen flagship stores of Tower Records, HMV, or Virgin Megastore.

But in the digital age, where you can listen with just a click, midnight live music sales have almost disappeared, only rarely appearing in a few small shops when a particular artist is in high demand.

The trend of buying albums at midnight is revived thanks to Taylor Swift.

And now, the hype surrounding Taylor Swift is reviving this phenomenon. According to Variety , approximately 500 Target stores across the US will remain open until midnight (local time) on October 3rd to sell the album, including both the standard version and exclusive editions available only at these stores.

This surprise announcement also included the introduction of three exclusive CD versions of The Last of a Showgirl , as part of a long-standing partnership between Target and Taylor Swift.

Before the era of streaming and online music downloads dominated, queuing up to buy albums as soon as they were released was a familiar tradition for fans - Photo: Variety

For those who don't want to queue in their pajamas in the middle of the night, all the special editions are still available for pre-order on Target's official website.

With a massive fanbase yearning to own a physical copy of Taylor Swift's album, it's understandable that many would choose to experience her debut album as a keepsake – to hold it in their hands and see it – rather than simply listening to it online.

Although Black Friday is now primarily an online shopping spree with less crowding in stores, Target still saw a massive influx of customers last November when it exclusively sold the Deluxe edition of The Tortured Poets Department vinyl record and the Eras Tour Book . Most stores quickly sold out.

A mint green and black version of the vinyl record The Life of a Showgirl: Shiny Bug Collection, featuring a new cover art - Photo: TaylorSwift Store

Following the general market trend, Taylor Swift is the "queen" of vinyl record sales, far surpassing CD sales. However, with The Life of a Showgirl, she continued to invest heavily to boost CD sales. The three exclusive CD versions previously sold on the singer's own webstore quickly sold out.

These editions are also confirmed to be one-off prints and will not be re-released in the future. In a recent podcast, the singer also clarified that there are no exclusive songs in this vinyl version; the differences lie in the format and design.

The Life of a Showgirl, produced by Max Martin and Shellback, features Sabrina Carpenter's vocals on the title track and is scheduled for release on October 3rd.

Sharing about the album's creation process, Taylor said it was a very personal and emotional perspective, capturing what went on inside her during the long and unexpectedly successful Eras Tour .

"This album is my voice at the most vibrant, intense, and brilliant moment of my life. Those explosive emotions have blended into every melody," the singer described.

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Shang Kai

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/500-sieu-thi-o-my-mo-ban-album-the-life-of-a-showgirl-cua-taylor-swift-luc-nua-dem-20250908132705869.htm