Rollout Roundup: The Best Marketing Rollouts of This Week's Releases

You’ve heard of music critics, but let me be the first to introduce you to rollout critics. 

by Olivia Shalhoup

I have always loved music, but as a marketer myself, I can't help but let the rollout of a project or song overpower my thoughts about it. I hope you enjoy my thoughts, and that others who love engaging in dialogue about the marketing behind our favorite artists can find a community here with me.

3. 24kGoldn - El Dorado

24kGoldn has proved to be one of the most interesting artists of the year already. His introduction as a classic male popstar, which we haven’t had in a while, sparked my interest this past year when his quarantine bop “Mood” topped the charts, with all of his single releases following suit. El Dorado presented a pretty standard well-executed label rollout, the project marketing around this had longevity. With a few viral TikTok hits, Goldn has solidified himself as a pop star in the making. 

Strong points: VISUALS! He gave us looks and vibes. We love it. And of course the obvious TikTok marketing, strong visuals, late night show performances, the clear evidence of strong label back behind this artist contributes to what will probably be very cohesive visuals and big-name placements like billboards and Times Square photos. 

Weak points: Risk taking! This marketing rollout lacked the creativity and innovation that has been budding during the pandemic. Would have loved to see the team take some more risks here. How will 24k Goldn overcome the accusations of being an “industry plant” label that has seemed to walk hand-and-hand his name recently? Show the world and his fans himself beyond the music. He hasn’t done a lot of personal branding or direct-to-fan presentation, and a lot of this may be the result of becoming a star during a global pandemic. But it also may be the result of someone who skipped past the underground phases and leaped into stardom, a position becoming more and more common in this phase of the internet. I would love to see his use of social media to improve his personal brand, aside from general TikTok hits, social media is a bit of a blind spot for Goldn. 

2. Coi Leray feat. Pooh Shiesty - Big Purr

Another TikTok hit no doubt. I’ve been wanting to talk about Coi for a while, after a few of what seemed to be breakout hits turning into not much traction, it seems like she has finally broke through the noise. In all honesty, I’m rooting for her, and I hope she can figure out how to stay a while. 

Strong points: Leveraging an unreleased song on TikTok has already solidified itself as one of the most crucial marketing moves of successful artists in 2021. All three of the artists on this list have executed this move well. Coi’s timing seems perfect here, still hot off the press of her latest “No More Parties” hype, but not too soon that we’re overwhelmed with Coi content. Perfect calculation. 

Weak points: Visuals! We needed a press shoot! Some very well done Coi x Pooh Shiesty visuals would have created more of a “moment” for this collab. Coi Leray tends to get a lot of hate by some who claim they don’t like her music, but I think it has something to do with the fact that they don’t find her attractive. That’s a topic for another day. 

1. Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)

The king of creating viral moments. Wow. I could write a whole piece just on this rollout, a buzz of which he created seemingly all on his own (or at least, he has mastered the art of centering himself and his own creativity in rollouts). As a social media manager I often find myself in awe of Lil Nas X and his ability to organically engage a fan base online. I know it has everything to do with has past affiliation with stan culture. He and I share that origin, which further proves the effectiveness of engaging stan culture in your structured marketing tactics. We saw his successful self-marketing when he drove himself to the top of every chart (and every headline) in 2019, but Lil Nas X with a budget - whew. It is as impactful as we all needed it to be. He gave us compelling visuals, an engaging plot, and controversy - the 3 key ingredients to a viral campaign. 

Strong points: THE WHOLE DAMN THING. 

Weak points: Honestly, I have nothing to say here. My main criticism of LNX has largely centered around his use of comedy to avoid bearing his soul, and he washed that worry away by perfectly balancing the two here. All kudos to Lil Nas X and his team on what may very well be the song (and summer album) of the year.