‘Astroworld’ is upending the music scene, and here’s why
May 2016: Travis Scott, before even dropping his second album, announces his project “Astroworld” on Vine.
August 2018: Fans, finally, are done waiting for “Astroworld,” which released last Friday.
“Astroworld” is projected to sell over 480,000 copies in its first week, nearly five times more than Scott’s sophomore album, “Birds in the Trap Sing Mcknight.” But why is this?
Maybe it’s because of his public relationship with celebrity and entrepreneur figure, Kylie Jenner. Maybe time has finally caught up with his futuristic sound. Or it may just be a combination of both, and a testament to the power of relevance for a successful album rollout.
Album rollouts were traditionally done through press tours, magazine covers, singles dropped and release date announcements. Record labels controlled most of this process, and with the primary goal of making money, much of the formula catered toward maximizing profit.
But this paradigm has shifted in recent years. Streaming services have given artists more independence, while the rise of social media has changed the game plan for an effective album release. Instead of labels focusing strictly on profit margins, artists can shift their focus onto their fans while also allowing them more freedom to pursue their own artistic vision.
Through social media, our favorite artists have become much more relevant in our daily lives. The ability to instantly connect with fans has kept artists such Cardi B, Kanye West and Lil Uzi relevant without the need of a chart-topping hit. Artists can build up the anticipation of an upcoming project with a single tweet or viral video instead of a long, traditional “rollout.”
This shift away from traditional rollouts toward short-notice announcements and surprise releases has proven successful for some of the top albums dropped this year.
J. Cole dropped his album, “KOD, ” in April, following a five-day rollout that started with an announcement on a Monday and resulted in the final product’s release on a Friday. With an active presence on Twitter that highlighted listening parties in New York City and album collaborations with fellow artists, the album sold 397,000 copies in its first week.
Kanye West followed in similar fashion with the release of his album, “Ye.” In the weeks leading up, he used his social media to stir up controversy and build anticipation around the album — everything from his relationship with President Donald Trump to his collaboration with rapper T.I. West became a trending topic on most social media platforms, with his antics and polarized conversations surrounding him leading to more than 200,000 copies sold in first week sales.
Many artists are beginning to realize the power of using social media to stay intimately connected with fans. By staying relevant, artists can rely on their fans to roll out their albums much more effectively than any label could — shifting the standard from an obsolete, traditional rollout model to one better fit for the digital age.
Jalen Nash is a junior political science major. His music column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email him at janash@syr.edu or follow him on Twitter @ja_nash3.
