In July, 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.  Now, 49 years later, science has reached all new heights. On Feb. 21, Towkio became the first rap artist to drop his album from space, which I think is an achievement of
astronomical proportions.

Sharing his music to listeners everywhere, Towkio shared his album, WWW, from a helium balloon that was 10,000 feet above earth. Music publication the Fader reported that this creative choice was inspired by Towkio’s description of some songs as creating the same sensation that astronauts feel as they see Earth from space.

I have complete respect for artists who really get into their work and attempt to present it in a fun, creative way. What Towkio did was not only a unique marketing tactic, but it also calls to question how out of this world artists must get in order to capture their audiences’ attention in an age of outrageous promotions spectacles.

Towkio isn’t alone in finding ways to release music relevant to his eccentric style. Taylor Swift, before dropping
her newest album “Reputation,” wiped all of her social media accounts (which seemed to cause thousands of social media thirsty listeners to lose their minds). As her distraught fans struggled to digest their shock, Taylor came back swinging, using her blank media accounts as a platform to promote her newest creation.

Beyoncé is another artist who dropped some hot beats in a unique way this past year. Like Santa sneaking into your house on Christmas Eve, Beyoncé presented the gift of her voice in “Lemonade” with no promotion or announcements following up to it in what is called a surprise drop.

From Towkio to Taylor Swift to Beyonce, the need for an eventful album drop seems to be a rising
trend practiced by many artists today. Why are promotional spectacles so effective?

The outrageous accessibility of online music, news and entertainment keeps many users attracted to whatever is the loudest or most absurd. I think that maybe if the world stopped buzzing around and just listened, crazy space launch tactics wouldn’t be necessary.

Shelby may be reached at
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