As if becoming a father wasn't going to be enough for one week, Kanye West is back at number one in the UK for the first time since 2007's Graduation.Yeezus, West's sixth solo studio album in nine years, has been notable for the artist - and for music marketing in general - in a number of ways.
From announcing the release date of the album (18th June) via Twitter on only the 2nd May, people were not sure what to expect was going to take place on that date; from a live show in a certain location to Kim Kardashian giving birth, the Internet was awash with rumours. But we're pretty certain that no one at all was expecting a full album! Subsequently, there was Kanye's choice of promoting the album with such 'guerrilla' tactics - projecting videos onto the sides of buildings globally, and by releasing imagery of the rather sparse cover artwork (above); the closest he got to traditional promotion was by appearing on Saturday Night Live, performing two tracks.
Clearly, none of this has hampered the star's ability to sell his music, as he edged Black Sabbath's comeback album 13 off the top spot. And it has even left Jay-Z - the artist/businessman that West calls his 'big brother' - playing catch-up; presumably choosing to announce the release of his new album (Magna Carta Holy Grail) in an attempt to piggy-back off West's success...whether or not it works, we shall have to see.
Leave a comment