Lil Wayne will be performing at the MTV Video Music Awards next Sunday, August 28, but it’s only after his performance, when the clock strikes midnight, that the real magic happens. No, his whip won’t turn back into a pumpkin, but his new album Tha Carter IV will be released exclusively on iTunes and other online outlets. The August 29 release date means that the physical album will be out in stores later the same day.
The much-anticipated follow-up to 2008’s Tha Carter III (TMT Review) will feature collaborations with Drake, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain, and John Legend, and Weezy hopes that the hype generated by his live performance that night will help jump-start sales. “I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea,” Lil Wayne said in a statement. “I hope that I can open the door for others.”
Though he is the first artist to release an album so soon after a televised performance, Lil Wayne is not the first to experiment with online sales. Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne (TMT Review), which reached #1 on the Billboard charts last week, was released exclusively on iTunes several days before it was stocked on shelves, primarily to avoid the album leaking. Lil Wayne’s variation on this sales tactic could prove a direct indicator of whether or not fans like his new material, and at the same time will finally reveal to the world who the hell is still watching the VMAs.
• Lil Wayne: http://www.lilwayne-online.com
• Young Money: http://www.weareyoungmoney.com
