Lorde Fans Discover CD Copy Of New Album 'Virgin' Doesn't Actually Play

Lorde's latest album, Virgin, is one of the biggest-selling releases in the world at the moment, but those who bought a CD copy of it say the physical format doesn't even play.

The CD version of Virgin was released as a unique, fully transparent and recyclable disc, which no doubt appealed to collectors, however, numerous fans have reported that their copies will not work in their car players and Discmans.

Digital Music News points out the problem is "the unique construction of the disc—standard CDs rely on a reflective aluminum layer to bounce the laser back to the optical pickup. The transparent CD uses a different reflective technology or coating that may not be universally compatible with all CD players."

"Some CD collectors speculate that the disc may employ a dichroic or polarized reflective player that only reflects the specific infrared wavelengths used by some players—but not all—leading the playback failures in certain devices."

The transparent disc is an undeniably cool gimmick that matches the x-ray image on the album's cover nicely, but it really just looks like the label decided to sell the top disc from some stacked rings of CD-Rs.

Still, some fans say the CD will actually play with newer stereos, particularly those that don't feature a disc changer. While others, are just happy to accept it as a keepsake and own something that looks cool.

Both Lorde and Universal have yet to comment on the unplayable CDs.

See reactions below.