Fans say CD copies of Virgin don’t work

Fans of singer Lorde say copies of her latest album won’t work in CD players.

Virgin, the newest release from the New Zealand-born star, came out last Friday, the same day as a “secret” Glastonbury performance.

Lorde fan Max tells BBC Newsbeat they pre-ordered a copy of the CD version, which comes on a transparent disc.

But when they put it into their stereo system, it didn’t work.

Record Label Universal Music Group (UMG) has been approached for comment.

CDs, or compact discs, usually have a printed side and a shiny side, which reflects lasers used by CD players to read the data they contain.

Max, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, says the clear CD looks “really cool”.

“I’m all for it being an aesthetic thing,” they say.

Max realised they might not be the only one having an issue when they shared their experience online.

“I thought I’ll record a Tiktok about it and it’s got 200k views,” says Max.

“So I was like, maybe it isn’t just me.”

Some fans have been able to get the CD to work.

One, writing on Reddit, said: “It plays on my Playstation, so the CD does work.”

Transparency is a recurring theme where Virgin, Lorde’s fourth studio album, is concerned.

The CD album artwork shows an X-ray of a pelvis, believed to be the singer’s, with a contraceptive “coil” visible in the image.

While the vinyl version features a photo of a woman, also thought to be Lorde, wearing see-through trousers.

While Max appreciates Lorde’s commitment to the theme, they are also frustrated.

“I don’t buy CDs to look at them, I buy them to play,” says Max.

“It’s just frustrating buying something and then it not just working straight out of the box.

“I just think that this wasn’t very well planned.”

Lorde previously shunned a CD release for her 2021 album Solar Power, citing environmental concerns, although she says copies of Virgin use recyclable materials.

Max says Univeral Music Group’s support team offered a return when they got in touch with the label.

But they are still hoping for a copy they can hear.

“If I can get another print of it on a proper CD then I would really like that,” they say.

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