Last week, Post Malone returned with his first album in three years, Twelve Carat Toothache, which also marked his first album with newly relaunched Republic Records imprint Mercury Records. And this week, that album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — his fourth straight top five album on the chart — and at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, maintaining a streak of No. 1s that dates back to his debut album, 2016’s Stoney.
It’s a success for both Post and his label Mercury, which is run by his longtime A&R Tyler Arnold as president, as well as parent label Republic. And it’s another win for Republic’s executive vp of global commerce and digital strategy Kevin Lipson, who oversaw the rollout and the marketing moments that touched almost every aspect of physical and digital marketing available today, from VR to streaming to in-person events and more — and helps earn Lipson the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Lipson helps shine some light on what sets Twelve Carat Toothache apart from Post’s prior releases, as well as some of the approaches the rollout took, including the decision to release a deluxe album just four days after the original and the multiple-format physical release strategy that will see both cassette and vinyl versions of the album in the next few months. “It provides us the opportunity to create even more excitement while Post tours the globe,” he explains.
Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week, Post’s fourth straight top five album. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
Our 52-week strategy has been to launch with 1 billion-plus global streams and the core focus has been on activating Posty’s fans with multiple marketing moments. This includes Amazon’s first of its kind listening experience, a VR concert, Apple Music Live, YouTube Shorts, Spotify’s Investor’s Day, Reddit and super-fan integrations.
How did you set up this release differently than his prior albums?
Posty has fully engaged in a short form video rollout campaign across Instagram and TikTok, an in-person Urban Outfitters event, proposed Web3 initiatives and even custom Beats Fit Pro spatial enabled headphones.
This is his first release on the newly-relaunched Mercury Records, which is part of Republic. Did that change anything this time around?
I can’t say much has changed within our family. A small team of us have worked closely with Tyler Arnold since Post was signed in 2016. If anything, the laser focus to evolve has only increased by the relaunch of Mercury Records. We are extremely proud to be partners.
The album will have a vinyl release next February, but also a cassette release later this month. What role do the different formats play in maintaining the buzz for a record beyond release week?
We are targeting multiple tentpole moments with the launch of more physical configurations. It provides us the opportunity to create even more excitement while Post tours the globe.
A deluxe edition with two new tracks was released four days after the standard edition came out. What was the strategy behind that?
Simply to super-serve Posty’s fan base with even more incredible music. The “always on” approach ignites discovery in week two and beyond.
It’s been three years and a pandemic since Post’s last album, Hollywood’s Bleeding. What’s changed the most about the music industry in that time that informed how you approached this album release?
Multiple factors have fueled our strategy. This includes Billboard’s new chart rules, monetizing the metaverse and focusing on live streaming, gaming and sports opportunities. COVID has reinforced that we are always in beta.
