Lorde fans complain Virgin CDs do not play
Having not released her last album on CD out of environmental concerns, Lorde and her record label have now annoyed fans who have claimed that her latest recyclable disc does not play.
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The New Zealand singer’s fourth LP Virgin was released on Friday and the CD is a first-of-its-kind see through design, made of degradable materials.
The transparent aesthetic is fitting with the ultrasound image used for the album’s artwork. The only problem is that, for many listeners, it does not play.
Videos have been shared on TikTok showing fans inserting Virgin into their player and a message flashing up stating that there is no disc, or an error. In at least one case, the CD player refused to accept it at all.
The transparent version of the CD is the only one that has been released and does not appear to suit older players, often found in cars.
One fan wrote online: “Whoever decided to design this is an idiot because it’s a clear CD. Do you know what that means?
“Cars can’t read this CD, Walkmans can’t read this CD. And the worst part is, this is the only version of the CD that Lorde is offering – so I just have to go and return it and get my money back and not actively support her music because the team can’t make a functioning CD for aesthetics.”
Lorde performed the whole album in a secret set at Glastonbury festival on Friday, to mark the day of its release. She will be bringing her Ultrasound Tour to the UK in the autumn.
Neither she, nor her record label, Universal, have addressed the issue. There have not been any reported issues with the clear vinyl.
In 2021, Lorde did not release a CD for her third album Solar Power - bringing the LP out only on vinyl, and on streaming and download platforms.
Instead fans had the option of buying an empty box, without a disc, that featured artwork and a code for the album to be downloaded.
The singer said she went with this to allow fans to put the album in their collection.
“I decided early on in the process of making this album that I also wanted to create an environmentally kind, forward-thinking alternative to the CD,” she said at the time.
“I wanted this Music Box product to be similar in size, shape and price to a CD, to live alongside it in a retail environment, but be something which stands apart and that’s committed to the evolving nature of a modern album.”
NME reported that Virgin had sold out online in CD form but the reporter found a local branch of Fopp to be well stocked.
While CD sales have fallen upon the dawn of streaming, many fans prefer to have a physical copy of an album and consider the sound quality to be superior.