The End of New Music Promotion?

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, December 12th, Beyoncé dropped her fifth album, “Beyoncé,” completely unannounced. On iTunes, 14 songs and 17 videos suddenly appeared with no prior promotion. Earlier that same week, when asked about what’s to come in 2014, the Chairman of Columbia Records, Rob Stringer said, “Obviously, at some point, Beyoncé will put a record out.” Little did anyone know that “at some point” meant later that week.

As of Wednesday, December 18th, “Beyoncé” has reached #1 on the Billboard Charts, set a new iTunes record and sold 828,773 copies worldwide. In a press release published after the album went on sale, Beyoncé said, “I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it. I’m bored with that.”

Six months ago on Friday, June 14th,“Yeezus,” Kanye West’s sixth solo album leaked to the public without any singles being released prior. This is highly unusual for a rap artist in today’s day and age. Most rap artists, such as Drake, 2 Chainz and even Jay Z, always release radio singles before releasing the album. In regards to releasing a single, Kanye said, “We ain’t got no single to radio. We ain’t got no big NBA campaign or nothing like that….When I listen to the radio, that ain’t where I want to be no more.” Now, Kanye’s album “Yeezus” is still being discussed, as well making its rounds on many of the “Best Albums of 2013” lists.

With world-renowned musicians such as Beyoncé and Kanye releasing their albums with little promotion or no singles, this begins to beg the question: Once one attains a certain level of celebrity, is marketing and promotion no longer needed? Typically, recording artists carefully craft promotion plans that begin advertising the release of a new album months in advance. These plans are meant to hone in on the image that the artist is looking to promote with their new album, release singles, give interviews and even perform parts of the album.

Many artists would be unable to get their new music off the ground without the help of marketing and public relations and it seems that only the elite few are able to successfully release their music without doing this. As this trend seems to be continuing, it’s up to public relations professionals to keep an eye on this, especially as some of us may be working for celebrities one day.

What do you think about Beyoncé dropping her new album unannounced – is this an effective approach that could be applied to other celebrities, or does it only work for artists such as herself and Kanye?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Rachel Draghi

Be Your Own Biggest Fan

Here’s to those with their own blogs, websites, business plans, self-made clothing/jewelry, produced music, etc.; congrats on being talented, but…NO ONE KNOWS YOU! Well, that is if you are not self-promoting of course. I cannot begin to express how crucial it is to be your own biggest fan in order to get your name, and what you can do, out there. 

Speaking from personal experience, I found truth in this the hard way. I write weekly fashion articles for CollegeFashionista.com and I received next to zero reads in the beginning of my internship. This was because I did nothing to help myself, and instead I relied heavily on my editors to do whatever they wished with my published works. Not a smart strategy. Once I started posting my articles and pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram; my reads skyrocketed. I then created business cards with CollegeFashionista, I spoke highly of my articles and the website at networking events, and I made sure to be known by everyone as a style guru for Temple University - up again went my number of reads. Fact of the matter is; no one knows your work as well as you do. Therefore, no one can promote you as well as you can. Here are a few tips for promoting yourself:

1. Social Media- It’s been said before, but it bears repeating; social media is necessary these days in order to promote yourself. Don’t be shy, or lazy, and at least join the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Joining social media sites with help you connect with other up- and- comers and potential employers
2. Be Unique- Although drawing inspiration from others is helpful, don’t do what’s been done. Here’s a relatable example: when shopping I try to find something I know no one else would be wearing because who’s going to recognize me if I look like everyone else? Well, same thing goes for your produced works. Hello people, it’s called originality, ring any bells?
3. Be Mindful of your Reputation- Like they always say, “guilty by association.” Like it or not, who you associate with and what you promote reflect you – choose wisely! If you do not agree with a company’s core values or you wouldn’t show your grandmother what you wrote, steer clear!

If you don’t get anything else out of this blog, get this: confidence in what you can do is completely mandatory. Be authentically you, be proud, yet humble, and give them something to remember you by at the end of the day. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Nicole Leo.