Creating A World

Out of all of Kanye West’s promotional strategies, antics, successes and failures, his run in 2010 may have been the most important of his career. The album rollout for the now critically acclaimed “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” began in late May. West released his single

“Power” which has proven to be a timeless anthem that feels just as big and motivational every time you hear it.

And although the release of this single marks the technical start of the rollout, the hype started to build before that, as he had his famous rant at the VMAs in 2009. This led to an apology tour to clean up his image, and a retreat to Hawaii with some of the best musicians in the world to embark on creating this album.

Flash forward to August: Power is ultra successful already and Kanye west utilizes Twitter to announce he will be releasing a song every Friday until Christmas. He called the move G.O.O.D Fridays. This was a genius way to continue to promote the forthcoming album (that people still did not know about) and get the consumers and fans involved and invested in the work.

In early October, Kanye finally announced that the actual album was coming November 22. By the time the album came out, so much hype had been built up that it felt like a massive success right away. West spent over half a year rolling the project out through music, social media, and connection with his publics. He took a very shaky situation (his VMA rant in 2009) and through good public relations was able to change his image and reputation for the rest of that year. People still feel like “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is his best work to date. Maybe all of the events that lead up to it have something to do with that.

Although we can’t pinpoint an exact time when the music industry, and all of its capital and incentives suddenly shifted because of the popularity of streaming music, we can certainly look to 2017 as a watershed year in that regard. In a matter of months, the biggest names in music all dropped albums that have since gone on to do special numbers. Drake released his album (that he considered and labeled a playlist) “More Life,” Kendrick Lamar released his critically acclaimed album “DAMN.,” Future put out two albums in two months, Rick Ross and Migos each released full length projects and Jay-Z and Beyonce of course, took part in the music releasing festivities.

The interesting thing about this string of releases by music’s kings is the level of independence that went into the rollout and release. Rick Ross, for example, chose his release date because it was his daughter’s birthday. He didn’t have to listen to a label executive tell him exactly when he needed to release his album. Drake had the luxury of titling his new project a “playlist,” even though it was made up of nearly twenty carefully crafted songs. Jay-Z and Beyonce were able to release their albums strictly on the streaming platform that they own, called Tidal.

Before the large impact streaming had on the music industry, rollouts were based on the capital it could generate. It was based on the executives and analytics. Now, the major labels play a much different role. The power is shifting more and more into the creatives hands, and artists are taking full advantage. The consumer is the priority. The measuring of music itself has changed in the last several years. Album sales now depend on streaming. Because of this, the industry was forced to adjust to the digital age and use streaming as the main part of their measurement. A couple of decades ago, everyone took the consumer for granted and decided on a standard price to charge for music. Now, there are subscription services that charge monthly and you can stream as much music as you want to. Streaming is now more than half of the overall revenue. Major artists are setting the tone and creating rollouts and music around the consumer in the streaming era.

For huge musical acts with an album on the way, promotion is almost as important as the music itself. It connects them to the fans and consumers, sets the stage for the mood of the album and builds hype which in return, drive up sales and streams. The main goal, as we’ve looked at over the past several weeks, is to keep the fans attention before the music drops. In doing so, there are many things that can go wrong. These rollouts are very nuanced and planned out periods. With that being said, there are hiccups along the way that lead to changed plans.

These changing of plans however, is not entirely a bad thing. 2016 was a good example of that. Future announced a new mixtape titled “Purple Reign” would be dropping the same night he tweeted. However, when the time came, no music was out. The website he chose to release the music through even tweeted saying that Future was still in fact working on the project. What this did, was set twitter into a frenzy. Everyone was tweeting purple umbrella emojis. This hiccup in the release rollout created anticipation.

That same year, Rihanna partnered with Samsung and Tidal to promote her album “Anti.” The idea behind the collaboration was to let fans unlock eight virtual worlds through video in the week leading up to the album release. Due to technical difficulties, there was a system error and Tidal ended up accidentally leaking the album two hours before the actual release. But this did not hurt Rihanna at all. Fans who had signed up and participated received a free download code for the album anyway. This, coupled with the frenzy of the system error only boosted streaming and conversation around the album.

It was proof that rollouts don’t always go according to plan. But instead of fearing it, artists should embrace it. It’s an opportunity to connect with fans on the most human of levels and show how you execute crisis management. In the face of terror, do you handle it with ease and reassurance or do you start blaming people and go off the rails?

Inarguably, two of the biggest stars and pop cultural influences of all time are Jay-Z and Beyonce. In 2018, the couple joined forces for their “On The Run II” tour. They had toured together years before, but with both of them releasing albums within the previous year, it made sense to do another run.

The way that music came about, however, was not all fun and games. The two went through a very public marriage issue. Everything was solved and forgiven, and lead to the two releasing some of their most critically acclaimed work to date. Beyonce’s “Lemonade” and Jay-Z’s “4:44” detailed many topics, mostly the tribulations that happen in any marriage, and how the family had to deal with it even as the eyes of the world looked on.

During the tour, many fans expected new music to drop. However, after multiple stops on tour and not a peep about any new music, fans started to just assume it was either simply a part two to their first tour, or a publicity stunt to help recover Jay-Z’s public image after all that had happened.

But, these two could never settle for what the masses expect. In June, while the couple were in London for a tour stop, their first joint album released. They premiered the video to the lead single off the album on the big screen during the show, and then right after the words “Album Out Now” appeared for all the fans to see.

What this did is create a truly memorable experience for everyone in attendance. It is amazing to be able to not promote an album for weeks or months and just drop it randomly, yet receive the same level of praise. Of course, these two have legendary status, but it says something that they waited to announce it until the end of a tour stop. They wanted to share the moment with their core fan base and create a memory that ties so deeply with the music.

Philadelphia rapper, Lil Uzi Vert, is considered by most to be one of the leaders of the new school. He is likable, idiosyncratic and frankly, a rockstar. He has revolutionized the game musically, but has also brought a new attitude and strategy as far as promotion, fan engagement and presentation of music.

For his second studio album, Lil Uzi Vert collected hype from dedicated fans for almost two years. When it came time to release the project, he took the promotional aspect out of the hands of the media. He is a true man of the people. He unprecedentedly let his fans on twitter vote on the album cover to involve his publics. Instead of getting write ups, doing interviews and showing his face on every show and channel out there, he had other artists tweet about the upcoming album to build hype. He brings a very DIY aesthetic to the industry and does it with some serious spunk.

Another norm he shot down was the “bundle” trend that is currently a huge part of hip hop. Most major artists tend to release merchandise that is paired with a digital copy of the album to increase sales. Uzi Vert strayed away from this. He released on piece of clothing but people had to dig and search for it on his website. Even though he strayed away from the industry norm, he still out-streamed all but three artists in the albums first week of release.

Uzi even released a deluxe album in the weeks following the release, however the deluxe was not a publicity stunt to boost sales or get an exclusive CD in target. It was basically a whole other album. For the people. Lil Uzi Vert is helping show the world that you don’t need to rely on major media outlets to garner attention. He instead engages his fans and continues to be a cult hero to them all.

Although we’ve already taken a deep dive into Kanye West’s album rollout for his widely considered magnum opus, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” there is another case study we must analyze to understand how far rollouts and public engagement have come over the years. Simply put, there is no one quite as innovative as West is. Artistically and philosophically, he continues to push the boundaries and exceed expectations.

In 2016, his long awaited album “The Life of Pablo,” (commonly referred to as TLOP) released in February. Prior to the release, there had been confusion with the album title, as he had changed it publicly multiple times. There was a ton of misinformation regarding the album being spread every day. This is something West used to fuel conversation.

But his rollout was not simply based off of misconceptions, confusion and wild fandom. West decided to premier the album as a livestream that simultaneously acted as his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show. West had been venturing into the fashion world for several years at this point. This event, held at Madison Square Garden in front of a sold out crowd, acted as great marketing for his clothing and his music. Along with the New York City event, the show was broadcast across hundreds of movie theaters around the world. West capitalized on the moment. He understood that he basically is the standard of culture. Not only does he hold incredible musical influence, but he holds fashion and cultural influence. He found a was to combine all three and capture the zeitgeist.

At the listening event, West simply plugged his phone into the aux to play the music. There was a very DIY feel. A spontaneous feel that sent waves of inspiration and creativity around the world. It felt so thought out and so natural at the same time. We might not ever know what West’s next move is, but I think it’s safe to say that’s a good thing. Creativity and connection doesn’t always come conventionally.

 

In 2013, Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, made some serious noise when he announced that he would be selling his new mixtape “Crenshaw” for $100 per copy. While many music fans and industry executives were appalled by the move, as we reflect eight years later, it is a business decision that was well ahead of its time.

The plan was inspired by a book called “Contagious” which details the story of a restaurant owner that came up with a philly cheese steak sandwich and sold it for $100. While this drew heavy criticism and backlash, it succeeded in attracting the right audience for him. That’s exactly what Hussle took away from the story. Sure, not everyone who would stream his music would purchase a mixtape for $100, but would it would do is attract the core family fan base that he had. It demands that only the most committed fans buy the tape and listen to the music. In a space where music is currently free to stream and listen to, artists have to be creative in their entrepreneurship and monetization strategies. This was Nipsey Hussle’s way of rejecting the current model of the industry and doing things his own way.

The rapper made so much noise with the announcement that he sold 1,000 copies in just one day, making $100 thousand. Legendary rapper and business man Jay-Z even pitched in to the efforts and bought 100 copies to show his support.

This model puts a new twist on the old school way that rappers sold mixtape out of their trunk. The Wu-Tang Clan gained traction in New York by going to different record stores around the city and physically selling their music. Although it is not the easiest or most practical, it is a gritty, grassroots way to build yourself up. In doing so, the artists form long standing relationships with the fans.

 

 

To better understand how we’ve gotten to such an interactive place with album rollouts, we need to go back in history and look at how American popular music first started innovating to engage with their publics.

Consumer interaction in music made big strides in the early twentieth century. Although promotion was not centered around physical events or community building like it is today, there was a big focus on the artwork itself. In 1938, Alex Steinweiss was hired as Columbia Record’s first art director. Up until that point, all cover art for singles and albums were plain. By the 1940’s, all major labels were following in the footsteps of Columbia and Steinweiss and using actual art on covers for releases.

What this innovation did is set the tone for visual association with music. Not only did it help the artists better portray their overall vision and theme for the music, but it helped the publics and consumers to understand it. This was a form of attachment. A big part of a mutual relationship, especially between companies and their publics, is the first impression. The innovation of incorporating real artwork with the music allowed for a true first impression. Making taste and sound visible is something that has increased the artist to fan relationship over the last century. It has led to some amazing collaborations between fine artists and musicians; it has helped to bridge culture and it continues to serve as a way for artists to push boundaries.

Eventually, in the 1960’s, bands and artists started to incorporate more in this art. They started included lyrics and full editorials in the physical copies. Including lyrics and pictures helped form even more of a personal connection and understanding. The Beatles are credited for starting the trend of putting lyrics in their album packaging, and with their album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” they were able to truly tap into a worldly audience through lyrics and art.

Over the past decade, we have seen the exponential growth in the popularity of rap music. One of the main reasons for that, and perhaps the most important sub genre of rap music currently, is trap music. Trap music is a heavy hitting form of rap that was popularized in the south. Places like Atlanta and Houston have established themselves as cultural and musical hubs. The autotune, hard hitting drums and distortion fuse together to help craft a genre of music unlike anything else.

Rapper 2 Chainz has been at the forefront of this music. In 2017 for his album “Pretty Girls Like Trap Music,” he decided to use his promotional rollout as a way to highlight the diversity of the audience of trap music. The title itself was an ode to women being an extremely important part of the progression of the genre. Whether it be as consumers, artists or anything in between, 2 Chainz was making sure women got the recognition and praise they deserved within trap music. But it wasn’t just the title. The rapper created a campaign that was immersive for the public and created a real sense of community.

For starters, 2 Chainz partnered with Spotify to curate playlists attached to the rollout. Playlists are the number one way people listen to music on streaming platforms nowadays, so it was a great way to start engagement. The rapper also decided to renovate a house in Atlanta, coat it in pink to match the album cover and use the space as an immersive public experience. Not only was the house great for photos, but it also acted as an event space and eventually hosted free HIV testing. He also opened a pop-up nail salon to continue his recognition of women within trap music.

This was a very innovative rollout in that it had a communal purpose. The revamped house acted as a community space. The HIV testing, Spotify playlist and nail salon did not have ulterior motives. The only purpose was to connect to the public. The levels of interaction led to a sense of the consumers feeling more like family.

Historically, an album rollout is based around big labels, big budget and profit. When profit is the main focus, the fans, publics and consumers become less of a priority. As social media has began to consume the zeitgeist and take over music, amongst other major industries, the corporation (artist) to customer relationship has improved.

Travis Scott took this to a new level with his 2018 album “Astroworld.” Similar to other album rollouts we have looked at, Scott’s album promotion started a couple years before the actual release of the project. In this case, Scott unveiled the name of the album on the social media platforms Vine and Twitter. With fans knowing the name and theme of the album over two years ahead of release, the hype kept building and building.

Travis took this world to new heights, incorporating art installations in the form of large golden inflatables in the shape of his face. These were put up in many major cities across the United States. When fans saw the installation, they were inclined to take a picture of it and post it on social media. This created a frenzy. Along with these inflatable art pieces, Scott created the “Astroworld Festival,” which brought fans together from all over the world to Houston, Texas. This is the birthplace of the original Astroworld, which was a theme park in the 90’s.

The ethos of this album and release was to create community. With art installations and a music festival, Scott was saying goodbye to the old was of big label promotion. He was saying goodbye to the prioritization of profit. He was introducing the world to a new way of music promotion. One focused on the fans. The album went on to be one of the most memorable releases of the past few years and the tour after the release took him to superstardom. The set design of the tour was also based around the theme park, so audiences remained a part of this nostalgic and psychedelic world.