I can sell water to a well.

Over the years, my continuing obsession with rap music has been described as  “almost indescribably boring” (by a series of tolerant girlfriends) and “kind of weird for a copy editor in his late 20s who likes French novels as much as you do” (by most of my friends).
 
Fortunately, as an employee of a brand communications and marketing agency, my rap-nerd lifestyle is so much more important than anyone ever believed: it’s actually important job research. As record sales decline around the country, labels and bands are trying to find new ways to stay profitable and sell albums. Hip-hop, the most sales-conscious music in the world right now, is leading the charge. And with every innovative technique, the marketing world at large can learn valuable lessons.
 
Earlier this year, Kanye West and 50 Cent generated a lot of headlines by setting up a rivalry: they both released their latest albums on the same (very classy) date, September 11. All over the media and the Internet, fans chose sides, arguing passionately for the virtues of one artist or another. And even if Kanye’s Graduation ended up the clear winner in sales, both artists managed to sell a lot more albums than recent trends would have predicted. The lesson: give your audience a stake in your success, even if it’s a symbolic one. (For the record, I voted for Kanye, but 50's "I Get Money" is my jam.)
 
More recently, Jay-Z has been the one developing new marketing moves. While he remains maybe the best-known rapper in the world, the mogul/rapper/coolest guy alive hasn’t been focusing the prerelease marketing for his latest album, American Gangster, on pop fans and teeny-boppers. Instead, he’s been using rap blogs and magazines to target people like me — people who wake up every morning humming 20-year-old De la Soul songs.
 
Usually, big-name hip-hop albums are scheduled months and months in advance, with lavish videos and endless singles released to build up audience hysteria. American Gangster, on the other hand, was offhandedly announced less than two months before its release; the first single, a piece of minimalist, old school-referencing menace called “Blue Magic,” was almost the only hint we had of what the album would sound like.
 
The strategy has worked brilliantly. By promoting the album through something like a whisper campaign, Jay-Z has a nation of fans more than willing to spend money on new product. The lesson: a die-hard audience is more reliable than trying to resell yourself to a fickle general public every time you try and sell a new record.
 
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to call my mom. I’m sure these professional insights will make her feel completely different about all those albums I still have sitting in a closet back home. — Sam, Content Manager