WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Taylor Swift's much-anticipated album, "The Tortured Poets Department", is set to be released on Friday.
WPTV reporter Joel Lopez got a behind-the-scenes look at the album, as places like Rust & Wax in West Palm Beach had copies in the back of the store ahead of the release day.
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Of course, they wouldn't let Lopez buy one until Friday, but they had boxes of vinyl and CDs of the album ready for sale.
Rust & Wax is also selling Taylor Swift stickers, notepads, birthday cards and other novelty gifts for Swifties.
"The greatest thing about Taylor getting involved in vinyl is getting awareness into the vinyl community," Jesse Feldman, the co-owner of Rust & Wax, said. "It's getting people into collecting."
This is Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, which was announced two months, ago leaving fans (including Lopez himself) hunting easter eggs, riddles and clues in her cryptic social media teasers.
Over the years, Swift has broken records in streaming, album sales, concert attendance and vinyl sales, bringing new life to local stores.
"Last year, we looked back at our stats and in our top 10 records sold throughout the year, the No. 1 record was a Taylor Swift record and the four out of the top ten were Taylor Swift records," Feldman said.
Feldman told me he's a Swiftie and said his favorite album is 1989.
The Swift effect can also be felt at Sounds Good Music in Port St. Lucie.
"I've seen a big resurgence especially due to her," Chris Bonner, the manager of Sounds Good Music, said. "When she's got something out, the fans flock."
Sounds Good Music has every Swift album on display front and center when music fans enter the store.
Bonner told Lopez he's not a Swiftie but said he is fond of the song "Shake It Off."
Both stores are also preparing for the annual "Record Store Day," which takes place on Saturday.
It's a day for people to support local record stores as they'll have exclusive material from artists that music fans won't find at big chain stores.
"Record Store Day could be the equivalent of a month's worth of sales," Feldman said.
This year, Rust & Wax will be collecting food and funds to benefit the Palm Beach County Food Bank.
They have one copy of Swift's Midnights album with a hand-signed picture inside that they plan to give away to someone who donates by 2 p.m. on Friday to their food drive.
Rust & Wax plans to have just under 400 limited exclusive titles, used records for sale, limited merchandise and an after-party at Zipitios.
Artist Kendra Morris will do an in-store performance and signing at Rust & Wax on Sunday.
Feldman told Lopez that last year the line stretched down the block from their store, so music fans should get there early!
