If you know anything about the underground hip hop movement that made a world wide impact in the 90's, then you know Mos Def. Mos has never been one to fit in with the hip hop norm or main stream. That is why, to no one's surprise, this hip hop artist continues to creatively think out side of the box effectively market his music to the fans.
"Ecstatic" is the 4th solo studio album release from Mos Def, who has become quite successful in an acting career that has been in development for the last few years. Mos paired up with designer Invisible DJ to create a T-shirt that would very well be the art work for the album.
Buy a shirt, get an album, wear the album, get it ? Good idea, no ? Well it is a creative idea none the less, only time will tell how successful the campaign will be. In pure Mos Def-ian fashion, the hip hop artist distances himself from the traditional model of record sales and tries some "outside of the box" thinking.
The shirt would feature the artwork on the front and track listing on the back. The tag would have it's own unique code number that would be used to retrieve the album once you have purchased your shirt. The idea is that you buy the artist brand merchandise and receive the album for "free".
It was originally reported from other sources that Nielsen Sound Scan would count these T-shirt sales as the sale of a digital record. However, Sound Scan clarified that they have not agreed to any sort of terms for recording the sales of the T-shirt. The album distributors (Fontana) will have to negotiate terms further with Sound Scan on how these sales will be calculated.
Although it is now coming to fruition that negotiations have started between Fontana (distributors) and Sound Scan. Reports are that the album sales will be counted, but exact terms have not yet been defined. Currently the album sits in the number 2 spot on the Billboard Rap Albums chart and number 9 in the Billboard 200.
How do you think the album will fare in terms of sales and reception by music fans ? I peeped the album and I think it's good to hear Mos back on that poetical crazy rhyme shit he be doing, singing in Spanish on the tracks and what not (ha ha). How do you feel this T-shirt/Album tactic will do in terms of effectively marketing the record to music fans ?
That is a very good idea...........so good i might have to use it someday. haha
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