Travis Scott Astroworld

Genre: Hip-Hop Record Label: Epic Records/ Sony Music Release Date: August 3, 2018 By: Jose Arroyo Artist's Story

Travis Scott was born in Houston, TX. He symbolizes the hometown kid that made it to Hollywood. After dropping out of college at 19-years-old, Travis Scott moved to L.A. to pursue his dream as an artist. He went from sleeping on floors and crashing on couches, to producing songs for mainstream artists like T.I. and Rihanna. He would eventually be signed as a producer to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label. Travis Soctt achieved mainstream success as a producer, but has also gained recognition as an artist. In 2018, he released his third studio album, Astroworld. The album would become a #1 album in America for the following 2 weeks. Target Market

TOP CITIES 56% MALE Twitter Mentions Houston 6,350 44% FEMALE Los Angeles 2,700

Travis Scott's target market consists of male Hip-Hop fans living in the United States, primarily in Houston and Los Angeles. He draws fans through his lavish lifestyle, catchy musical approach, and psychedelic raps. He's the young rich rapper that male teenagers and young adults admire. His relationship with social media mogul Kylie Jenner solidifies his presence as "the guy that has it all." His fans enjoy festivals, the latest technology, and brands such as Jordan, Nike, Gucci, Supreme, and Polo. Channels of Distribution

Streaming platforms Online Retailers Brick and Mortar Stores Artist (Spotify, Apple (Amazon, Walmart, (Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Website Music, etc.) etc.) Cactus Records)

Travis Scott has various channels of distribution. His music can be consumed on streaming sites like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal, but can also be purchased through online retailers like Amazon and Walmart. Fans can also buy directly from the artist through his website. His music is even available at brick & mortor stores like Barnes & Noble and Cactus Records (local record shop). Customer Touch Points

The main touch points for Travis Scott are social media platforms (primarily Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube) and his artist website. Awards and Activities

Travis Scott won the Teen Choice Award for EDM Song in 2017 with Know No Better (as a collaborator), and the BET Hip Hop Award for People's Champ in 2016 with Antidote. His latest album, Astroworld, also held the #1 spot for Top Hip-Hop/R&B album on the Billboard charts, holding off Nicki Minaj's new release, Queen. Travis Scott has performed at various festivals, including the Austin City Limits Music Festival. But he has an upcoming festival for Astroworld in Houston, TX, coming up in November. The festival is sure to bring back nostalgia and attract 13-30 year old Hip-Hop fans in the city. Negative Press

Travis Scott was accused of "biting" and stealing songs from other artists by Billy Haisley in 2015, and then again by Eddie Gonzales in 2016. The journalists pointed to songs that Travis Scott "remixed" as evidence. Travis Scott allegedly got his hands on songs recorded by other artists (through his relationship with studio engineers) and added a verse at the end of the songs. He then begin performing the songs at live shows and making them "his own". The profile of "biter" has followed Scott throughout his career, as he's often portrayed as a a contributor, rather than a creator. He's also criticized for lacking Travis Scott steals songs a story and being solely driven by materialism. from notable artists Favorable Press

Travis Scott received good feedback from music contemporaries, reviewers, and fans in general for Astroworld. The album was a long-awaited project from Travis Scott, and it didn't disappoint his fans. According to Haynos, "Astroworld stands out in today's hip-hop landscape largely because Travis is the only MC in 2018 who could possibly have delivered a project with this style of sound." The album was applauded for it's intricate sound, superior production, and Scott's ability to artistically combine it all. Music Formats

Digital Download and Astroworld is available in digital download Streaming (MP3) format, as well as CD and Vinyl. It appears $12.99 (Artist Website) Scott is using competition and consumer based pricing. This is the right strategy Physical album (CDs) because it allows him to compete with what $16.99 (Barnes & Noble) artist's are doing by staying relatively close to their prices. However, having his products a bit higher creates a perception of increased value within his fans (consumer Physical Album (Vinyl) based pricing). High value coincides with his $32.98 (Urband Outfitters) lavish image. Ancillary Products

Astroworld Keychain AstrAodwdo sruldb hMeaasdkins gand Album Deluxe Package: and digital album DL digital album DL Physical Album bundle

There are many cool ancillary products being generated from Astroworld. Travis Scott has keychains of the head shown on the Astroworld cover. The keychains are being sold for $15 (digital album included) on the artist website. Another cool ancillary product available on Scott's website is an Astroworld mask (great gift for Halloween). It's being sold for $50 and includes a digital copy of the album. Scott also has a deluxe version of the album, which comes in special packaging and includes music credits. CWT + RTB

Astroworld in itself is a great example of CWT + RTB. The title and theme connects deeply with Houston Hip- Hop fans, as it sparks nostalgia and forces them down memory lane. It also highlights Scott's upbringing and connection to his hometown, which often gets overlooked with his mainstream appeal. Showcasing his connection to the city gives fans a reason to buy. I think Scott has a great plan and is utilizing the CWT + RTB concept, especially with his upcoming festival in Houston for Astroworld. He's maximizing the connection that Houston has to the once fun-filled amusement park. ReacTwhitter FMolloweerstrics

Travis Scott's Twitter followers increased by 43% from the week of September 22nd to the week of September 29. This can be correlated to Drake bring him out to perform during the "Drake and the 3 Amigos" concert in Houston, TX, which occurred on October 1, 2018. Houston is one of Drake's biggest target markets, and even though Travis Scott is from Houston, his presence in the city is not as big as Drake's. As you can see, performing alongside Drake grew Scott's reach metrics/twitter followers. Trend &YouT ubAe Inusightds ience

Social Blade reveals trends and audience growth insights for Travis Scott's YouTube Channel. In May, there's a spike in daily subscribers gained, which is the result of Travis Scott releasing audio to "Watch," feat. Lil Uzi Vert and Kanye West on YT. The last upload he had before "Watch" was in the summer of 2017. The "Watch" upload broke a year drought of YT content. Then, in August, he rolled out his music videos for Astroworld, which explains the increase in total subscribers gained and daily video views shown on the graphs. Trend &YouT ubAe Inusightds ience

This screenshot reveals the "Watch" audio was released on August 3, 2018. This explains the spike in daily subs gained for Travis Scott, as well as the increase in subscribers gained beginning in May. RecenAsttro wRorlde effelcteases

Spotify for Artists: Travis Scott Streams

I utilized the Spotify for Artist App to get some insight on Travis Scott's streaming activity (by way of the comparison tool). This graph shows Scott's streaming activity from 2015 up until now. As you can see, Scott's streaming activity is pretty dormant, showing a few spikes in 2018 (probably from some festival appearances). However, the activity spikes on August 3, 2018 to nearly 80 million streams. This part of the graph illustrates the release of Astroworld. RecenAsttro wRorlde effelcteases

Travis Scott promoted Astroworld through a variety of ways, including social media posts and a trailer for Stargazing (a single from the album). However, his most notable promotional campaign came in the form of guerilla marketing. Scott and his team began putting up "Travis Scott heads" around the U.S. They targeted local record stores and lifestyle shops, including a strip club in Atlanta and two Houston record stores (Screwed Up Records & Tapes and Cactus Music). This led to a frenzy among Scott fans and lots of cool consumer generated content (memes and selfies in front of the heads). Engagemtwitteer mnentiotns Metrics

Engagement Metrics spiked during the week of October 1 to the 7, 2018 for Travis Scott. His Twitter mentions skyrocketed by 98.5%. This is largely due to the fact that Travis Scott performed on Saturday Night Live and received a great amount of feedback from various fans and celebrities on social media, especially on Twitter. SWOTAr tAist Wnebsitae lysis

STRENGTH WEAKNESSES The website is very focused. It only has 5 pages you can visit: The website does not have many "sticky" features, besides the The touring page, Store page, Music page (which is just a video page (which only contains one video). There are also not landing page with two banners that lead to the merch page), many signup forms throughout the website, or events page a Videos page, and a "season pass" page, which looks to be an (besides upcoming tours). The server also appears to be Email signup form. It's very easy to navigate as well. Merch is having issues. I tried to opt-in to the email subscriber list but also up-to-date (masks available for Halloween). received an error message, preventing me from doing so. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Nicki Minaj concert for the NICKIHNDRXX TOUR at the Toyota Center Scott can sell more physical copies during the Astroworld in Houston on November 2, 2018 may be a thraeat. This concert festival in Houston, TX. Fans may only have a digital copy but could impede the ability for Hip-Hop fans to attend the Astroworld can be prompted to buy a physical one after seeing a live Festival on November 17 at NRG Park. Another threat is Lil Wayne's performance. Astroworld sweaters should also be added as Carter V Release. It could negatively impact streaming activity for merch, especially as the fall season and winter approaches. Astrwororld, as Lil Wayne rolls out his post release strategy. AnalyzeFa cTeboook Fuan Pacgeh Point

Travis Scott's Facebook fan page is very well put together. The page has the profile image and header as the album cover for Astroworld. The page also has a link to his website, a link to where fans can purchase and/or stream the new album, and an events section that displays upcoming concerts. It's very clean, concise, and focused. However, there is some room for improvement. AnalyzeFa cTeboook Fuan Pacgeh Point

I would suggest pinning a post to the FB page highlighting the Astroworld release. Although he has a link in the About section, having it front and center on the page feed would help fans go straight to the product. I would also suggest adding a short bio to the About Section. Currently, there is no bio. Conclusion

Travis Scott capitalized on his recent release by incorporating the CWT + RTB concept, catering to his target audience, utilizing guerilla marketing, partnering with lifestyle shops and local record stores, being active on social media, collaborating with other artists, and having various price points/ancillary products. Many artists and music professionals can learn a few things by examining his Astroworld release. References BET. (2016). People's Champ Award. Retrieved from https://www.bet.com/shows/hip-hop-awards/2016/nominees/people-s-champ.html Billboard. (2018, October 20). The Hot 100. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 Billboard. (2018, August 18). Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-albums/2018-08-18 Ekpo, I. (2018, August 20). Nicki Minaj says Travis Scott knows 'Queen' is the number 1 album in America. Retrieved from http://thesource.com/2018/08/20/nicki-minaj-travis-scott-queen-number-1-album/Gonzales, E. (2016, September 4). Listen to the songs Travi$ Scott stole from Facebook. (2018). Travis Scott. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/travisscottlaflame/ K. Forest and Starrah on 'Birds in the trap sing McKnight.' Retrieved from https://uproxx.com/music/travis-scott-stole-guidance-pick-up-the- phone-birds-in-the-trap-sing-mcknight/ Haisley, B. (2015, February 20). Travis Scott is worse than Iggy Azalea. Retrieved from https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/travis-scott-is- worse-than-iggy-azalea-1682870003 Haynos, E. (2018, August 29). Review: Travis Scott's 'Astroworld' proves good things are worth the wait. Retrieved from http://www.dbknews.com/2018/08/30/travis-scott-astroworld-album-review/ Heldman, B. (2017, August 13). Teen Choice Awards 2017: Riverdale, Wonder Woman among big winners. Retrieved from https://ew.com/tv/2017/08/13/teen-choice-awards-winners-2017/ Kellman, A. (n.d.). Travis Scott biography. Retrieved from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/travis-scott-mn0002998422/biography Next Big Sound. (n.d.). Travis Scott. Retrieved from https://www.nextbigsound.com/profile/342273 Peters, M. (2018, October 7). Travis Scott on 'Saturday Night Live': See the best Twitter reactions. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8478572/travis-scott-saturday-night-live-snl-john-mayer-tame-impala-kevin-parker-astroworld Renshaw, D. (2018, July 30). Second giant Travis Scott head pops up in Houston. Retrieved from https://www.thefader.com/2018/07/30/giant- travis-scott-houston-astros Social Blade. (n.d.). Travis Scott. Retrieved from https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/travisscottxx/monthly Travis Scott. (2018). Website. Retrieved from https://shop.travisscott.com Travis Scott Shop. (2018). Shop. Retrieved from https://shop.travisscott.com