Wu-Tang Clan hits the rap game with a new business plan for their new LP, “The Wu — Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” that has been recorded on the low over the last couple of years and produced by Cilvaringz. RZA spoke in an interview with Forbes and said, “We’re about to sell an album like nobody else sold it before,”. He went on to explain that he had a new approach to selling music and that he thinks it isn’t valued enough for some major reasons. RZA believes like other major artists such as Jay-Z , that music needs to become on par with the well respected fine arts that is showcased in museums and there is only one true original piece.
The plan is to only print one copy of the album and to showcase it in museums in major locations to allow fans to get an exclusive taste of the album. The one copy will then be sold for a very high price, “So far, $5 million is the biggest number,” RZA stated earlier this week.
This business plan is rather risky because if the album leaks at any point before the sale, it will become less valuable. The exclusive gallery hearings will have to have high security to make sure no one is able to show the work of art outside of the hearing. The process will be similar to exclusive pre screenings that collect and keep the audience’s electronics until after they leave the room or building to ensure no leakage.
Jay-Z may have sparked some influence in the rap community with his extra effort to make “Magna Carta Holy Grail” more than just an album. He performed his album in a gallery for an exclusive group of people and also made a music video including street artist and random volunteers. This year has brought many innovative techniques for marketing and selling music.
