Unexpected releases bring unexpected change to music industry (Editorial)
More stories from Chenta Shirley
Have the days of release dates and buying albums in the store a thing of the past?
The music world is very diverse and is always changing.
In the past few years, artists have had to think outside of the box to make sure their name is known. Two artists in particular have made a move in a new direction that could possibly change the “music game” forever.
In December of 2013, Beyoncé released her fifth studio album, Beyoncé. The release was unexpected and caused quite a stir. The result of this hasty decision had a very positive outcome. Beyoncé debuted at number one on the Billboard USA, and earned Beyoncé her fifth number-one album in the US in a row.
In February of 2015, Drake took a chance and did the same thing that Beyoncé did two years prior. Without any notice, he released his fourth studio album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
The feedback was phenomenal. IYRTITL albums debuted at 1 after only three days on the Billboard 200 and topped the Canadian Charts in only a week.
It seems that this new method of promotion has done positive things for both artists. The unannounced release of the albums gathered a lot of attention and created a lot of hype in fans because such a thing had never been done before.
Since then at least one other artist, Kendrick Lamar, has released music in a similar way. Lamar set a release date but then released it a week earlier, which grabbed a lot of listeners’ attention.
The future is unknown, but with the way the music world operates, many new changes and ideas are bound to arise. So in the near future, things such as album release dates may become absolute.
Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2014-2015 Periscope staff, CHS Administration, or the CHS student body.
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