Why Are There So Many Versions?

In case you missed it (and, let’s be honest, you probably didn’t), Ariana Grande returned last week with the new single “yes, and?”

The key word here being “single,” so, why are there so many versions of the song on streaming platforms? On Spotify, there are eight versions of the track filed into a single “album.” It’s a bit less obvious on iTunes, where each version of the track is organized as a separate single — that is, until you go to the overall bestselling tracks, and realize that 14 slightly different versions of “yes, and?” are currently floating around the top 100 spots.

So, what the hell is going on here?

What are all these different versions of “yes, and?”

If you’ve heard any version of Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?,” it’s probably the original, which is the three minute and 34 seconds-long track you hear in the song’s music video. There’s also a slightly shorter edit, as well as a five minute-long extended mix. Pretty standard.

However, Grande and her team also beat TikTok audio-makers to the punch by releasing both a sped-up and a slowed-down version of “yes, and?” before the amateurs could. Then, we have an a cappella version, an instrumental version, and an instrumental version of the aforementioned extended mix. Add in the clean versions of all the versions that have vocals, and you’ve got yourself more “yes, and?”s than an improv class.

Why did Ariana Grande release so many different versions of “yes, and?”

Numbers, baby. As Forbes points out, when an artist releases multiple versions of a track — i.e. the original with a radio edit and an extended mix — the company can lump all those streaming and digital sales numbers into one entity for charting purposes. It’s safe to assume that’s what Team Grande is doing here in hopes that “yes, and?” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

Have other artists done this before?

There’s nothing unusual these days about a pop star releasing multiple versions of the same track, particularly in the form of remixes: Taylor Swift did one with Ice Spice, and Ice Spice did one with Nicki Minaj, to name a couple of examples. In terms of streaming numbers and chart performances, the more versions of a song there are, the more profitable it can be.

But it’s less usual to see this ploy done so egregiously, to the point where the goal is so undeniably obvious. Some will see the dozen-plus versions of “yes, and?” as tacky, but that’s certainly fine as far as Grande is concerned. Swifties, Barbz, Livies, and Arianators will often do anything in their power to help their respective fave stay on top. To paraphrase Grande herself, her business is hers — and this is just business.