Post Malone’s Rise Through Entertainment Marketing

Who would have thought a scraggly-bearded 24- year old all the way from Grapevine, Texas would become one of the biggest hip-hop acts today? Born Austin Post but adopting the moniker of Post Malone, he has produced and sold over 60 million recorPods in the United States. He has also earned dozens of award nominations and broken several streaming records. All 17 of his tracks from his most recent album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding” hit top 100 on Billboard and top 50 on Spotify.

With so many controversies with his music and interviews shared on social media, it is hard to imagine how he still managed to stay relevant in the music industry. For any other artist, these things could signal the end of their career. Fortunately, entertainment marketing techniques and proper transparency has helped him with each controversy. Let us take a look at a few of the entertainment marketing strategies that has driven Post Malone to super-stardom.

VERSATILITY 

Perhaps what he is most known for is his tendency not to conform to any specific music genre. He has songs that can be enjoyed by a large group of people. This often ends up raising questions and starts conversations when a new project or material is released. By not confining his content to the limits of one music genre, his music appeals to a much wider audience. In this era of social media and content marketing, anything that is polarizing tends to create debates that lead to increased exposure.

The Come Up Show from Canada [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

PROPER RESPONSE TO CONTROVERSY

In the music industry, controversy gets people talking and in turn, this can translate to sales. While people say any press is good press, it is important to know which of controversy is good for business and which is toxic. This is very important for any entertainment marketing arm to understand. The ability to act fast and react with precision takes experience, especially in this industry.

For example, in 2015, an old vine video of Post Malone using the n-word was released to the public. He swiftly responded with an apology acknowledging it was wrong and unacceptable. There are other instances of his comments getting him into hairy situations. Luckily for him, proper entertainment marketing helped him manage the controversy. Getting into trouble is a job hazard for musicians. What matters most is how you respond and when you respond.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

A good marketing strategy will not work if it isn’t executed or timed properly. The song that put Post Malone on the map is White Iverson. With praises from Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa, the song eventually peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

This was followed by a feature on Kanye’s album which eventually led to him touring with Justin Bieber. Pairing him to go on tour with Justin Bieber was a good marketing tactic as it introduced him to a different audience and helped boost his popularity. At the peak of his popularity, he then released his debut album soon after the tour.  It was all perfectly timed. These are the recommendations that we help with as entertainment marketers.

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Guest post from Celebrity Access Encore

More than 4 years after Post Malone released White Iverson, he remains extremely relevant in the music industry. His newest album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding” debuted at number 1. With a digital marketing company that uses ingenious entertainment marketing strategies such as some mentioned above, you too can enjoy a similar rise in the music industry.