Taylor Swift’s ‘Opalite’ music video breaks Spotify record after exclusive launch on Spotify and Apple Music
Image credits: Taylor Swift – Opalite (Official Music Video)
The latest video from one of the world’s biggest artists just set a new single-day video streaming record on Spotify, and its rollout could signal a wider shift in how music videos are released.
“Opalite” breaks Spotify record for video
Taylor Swift has broken yet another Spotify record with the release of her “Opalite” music video. The release has become the most-streamed music video in a single day on Spotify, marking yet another milestone for Swift.
The latest achievement follows Swift’s wider success on Spotify, including her recent project The Life of a Showgirl which broke records upon its release last year. The lead single from the album, ‘The Fate of Ophelia’, broke the record for the most streams for a song in a single day in Spotify history.
You can see the full list of Spotify records Taylor Swift broke with ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ here.
A Spotify and Apple Music exclusive?
Interestingly, the “Opalite” music video wasn’t released on YouTube right away. Instead, it debuted exclusively on Spotify Premium and Apple Music for its first two days before expanding to YouTube.
That’s a notable move. For years, YouTube has been considered the go-to platform for releasing music videos. However, this rollout has put streaming platforms first.
That change makes sense too. Streaming platforms like Spotify are continuing to build out video features, meaning there’s now a greater opportunity for artists to release their music videos on platforms other than YouTube.
The bigger picture
Swift’s move also comes following YouTube’s recent decision to pull out of Billboard’s US music charts. For years, YouTube supplied chart data to Billboard. But now, YouTube believes that Billboard’s modernized chart rankings still don’t fully reflect how audiences consume music today, as it values paid subscription streams more heavily than ad-supported ones.
Not only does this decision impact upon the accuracy of Billboard’s charts, but it also gives artists and labels less incentive to prioritize YouTube as a platform. If a platform’s views don’t feed into the same chart mechanics, artists can look beyond a YouTube-first video launch.
A glimpse into the future of music video launches?
Of course, Swift’s decision to release the “Opalite” music video on Apple Music and Spotify Premium first could be completely unrelated to YouTube’s decision. But, when one of the biggest artists in the world adopts a different approach, people notice.
The long-term blowback from YouTube’s decision was always that labels and artists may prioritize paid-streaming platforms to release their music videos that would still influence charts, over YouTube. Now, we’re seeing that become a reality.
With Swift’s “Opalite” music video, we could be seeing the start of a shift towards releasing music videos on streaming platforms. And that means YouTube may have to take a back seat.
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