Taylor Swift is back - and her new album is music to the ears of Ireland's independent record stores.
The superstar is clocking up staggering early sales of her 12th and highly anticipated long player, The Life of a Showgirl, reportedly conceived and written during the European leg of her Eras tour, which included three sell-out shows at Dublin's Aviva Stadium in June last year.
And with sales of her latest album expected to top the million mark in the first week of its release, the 'queen of the stage' is also a driving force in the revival of good old-fashioned music sales.
The power of 'Swiftonomics' - a term coined to reflect the massive fiscal boost the superstar's concerts, marketing and sales give to local economies - is also giving a welcome boost to independent record store owners enjoying a revival of analogue and retro sales of vinyl and CDs, as well as merchandise.
Brian Murray, co-owner of Elevation Music in Dublin's George's Street Arcade, said Swift has played a significant role in the revival of physical music sales.
He told the Irish Mail on Sunday: 'She's played a part because she sells a lot of records. She brought out a lot of special editions of albums, which obviously helps sales.'
So far, her latest album has five vinyl variants, including the Portofino Orange Glitter pressing, the Summertime Spritz Pink Shimmer pressing and a number of limited-edition versions.
The album also has four CD variants and a cassette tape version. Across all of these formats, there are six different covers.
Her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, had 19 physical variants (nine CDs, six vinyl, four cassettes), and a double album edition titled The Anthology, featuring 15 bonus tracks.
Mr Murray, who co-owns the music store with his wife Milena Puzzi, said the number of variants has a real impact on sales.
He added: 'If you think of her last album, The Tortured Poets Department, there were four versions with different tracks. And lots of people bought all four of them. Just for the one extra track.'
Tay Tay merchandise is also a lucrative seller for the store. Mr Murray said: 'We sell stand-up cutouts, life-size cutouts of Taylor Swift. And every day, people are getting their photographs taken with her. Since the concert, I've probably sold 20 or 30 of them.'
The 'Swiftonomics' phenomenon is also revitalising record stores outside of Dublin.
Maura Mannion, of Zhivago Gifts on Galway's Shop Street, said they have 'absolutely' seen a 'revival in interest in physical media'.
The shop first opened in the 1970s when vinyl records were a big seller, but they stopped selling physical music as it fell out of fashion. However, they have enjoyed a vinyl revival since 2015, as stores such as Golden Discs and HMV made a comeback.
Maura told the MoS: 'It's young people that are part of the revival, more or less. You could connect Swift to that, but I also think it's social media, Taylor Swift... I'd say she's quite prolific online. That would be part of the marketing.
Maura said Swift's enduring popularity goes way beyond her huge social media presence.
She added: 'I still think she managed to stay relatable, which is important, especially for younger, more impressionable young girls in particular. She can do no wrong.'
These superfans include the auditor and former secretary of Galway University's Swiftie Society, Caitlin Curley, 21, who woke early on Friday to be among the first to hear the new album.
