The Raconteurs’ Unconventional Promotion

No one knows how to promote music anymore. Fifteen years ago, the record industry had music promotion figured out. Artists like Sugar Ray, Linkin Park, and Usher sold millions of records. Music fans—young and old alike—eagerly bought compact discs. Then Napster happened, and the digital music revolution began.

The fallout after Napster led the recording industry astray. Albums sales declined. People now found new music online, using peer-to-peer networks and Web sites like Myspace.com. Recently, musicians have experimented with different manners of releasing and promoting albums, both in physical and digital form.

On March 25, Jack White’s band, The Raconteurs, unexpectedly released “The Consolers of the Lonely” across every distribution channel.

But how is the release of “Consolers of the Lonely” different from other music releases? The Raconteurs did not use any promotion for “Consolers of the Lonely.” Instead, the band depended solely on the mass distribution of a press release on March 18—only one week before the album’s release.

The band gave music news sites and blogs an opportunity to break the sudden news to the public. On March 18, popular news site Pitchfork Media made its headlining story about The Raconteurs, running the story with the press release verbatim. Other music news sites and blogs did the same.

Since its release, the album’s single peaked at 35 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Charts. The single, “Salute Your Solution,” has stayed on the charts for every week since its release. Furthermore, the album has stayed within the Top 10 on Amazon.com’s New Releases chart since its release.

For Jack White and The Raconteurs, this indirect approach to public relations and marketing worked. In many cases, the public read The Raconteur’s main message verbatim. Intrigued fans then acted upon the news and purchased the album.

Jack White’s famousness certainly lends credibility to the album’s release. He didn’t need to use promotional tactics to incite the public’s interest. But can this cost-friendly approach to marketing work for other bands? Will other bands follow The Raconteurs’ lead and release albums that lack traditional promotion?