#killah beez

“Wu-Tang Clan's one-of-a-kind album is essentially a value proposition, one that combines and pushes the envelope of such concepts as scarcity, exclusivity and novelty to such extremes that its value transcends monetary worth,” explains Andy Gensler, a contributing editor at Billboard Magazine.

While Wu-Tang’s desire is to take a jab at the industry standard, there are many fans that have used the Internet to voice their disappointment with the group’s decision, labeling the move as a lack of respect.

“I don't think that Wu-Tang's action necessarily undermines music, but it undermines their fans, which should come first and foremost,” says Chelsea Gentile, a grad student at USC specializing in Talent Management. 

Others, however, like Staten Island artist Sergio Napoletano, see the group’s decision from an artist perspective, thinking of the change as a positive step in the digital age. 

“It makes everything else around the release just as exciting. It's putting the focus back on the artist, the process and how they plan to display their art to others. It gives them their freedom back,” says Napoletano. 

Either way, having an opinion or not is not the point. The death of the CD is imminent and the business model surrounding it as well, forcing artists to find new ways to make ends meet.

Wu-Tang Clan’s sophomore release “Wu-Tang Forever” sold 612,000 copies in 1997 grossing nearly two million dollars. The groups millennium release of “The W” sold 301,000 copies with only one million in sales, a 49% decrease in album sales over a mere three-year period. The CD release downfall into the 2000’s was even more evident when the groups next two album releases didn't come close to the one million dollar mark. However, is Wu-Tang Clan investing well by putting faith in the impending rarity of the CD?

“A determining factor of its long-term value, however, may depend on how good the album is -- which given where Wu-Tang are in their careers is a big if.  If it gets slammed by press or listeners or if it gets leaked, its value may never reach or sustain the 7-figure numbers now being batted around,” says Gensler. 

The buzz surrounding the album is driving a lot of interest and proving that artists have begun to manufacture their own ways to restructure the old music industry model. What we are experiencing is an artist’s rebellion, the post-modern movement of the music industry.

Late last year Beyonce created buzz with her self-titled album which was never advertised before its drop on iTunes. The album sold nearly 430,000 copies in its first 24 hours, 614,000 in its first week, and eventually became the fastest selling album in iTunes store history. Beyonce’s first week sales total for her fourth studio album prior to "Beyonce", “4”, was 310,000 copies, making her secret online exclusive a 98% increase in sales. As Beyonce would say, no “#Billborts” needed. Artists are using their artistry to make the sales.

Artists are taking the death of the retail CD and finding creative solutions to a dying business model; the first step in a successful restructure long needed within the music industry. Whether or not it lasts or if it's the right direction to go, maybe that is not the point.