Recently, Pitchfork reported that Wu Tang will be releasing an album but there is a catch: they will only release one copy! This one copy (packaged in a silver box) will go on tour to museums and other spaces, where there will be listening parties. After the tour, the one copy will be sold to the highest bidder, who can do with it what they want (keep it to themselves, post it online, etc.). Apparently, they have already received an offer for over $5 million. The speculation is that the album will be purchased by a corporation of some kind, who will make the album available to the general public for free as a sponsorship/promotion.
It’s an interesting strategy in the current climate of the music industry. With Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon, practically all music is readily available to all consumers now, yet by creating scarcity, the value increases tremendously. This is a comeback for the Wu Tang Clan, so being the right group at the right time has something to do with it (think Radiohead’s In Rainbows). It will be interesting to see how this plays out.