Tyler, The Creator has claimed his first UK number one album with “Chromakopia,” despite it being available for only four out of the last seven days.
The Official Chart Company starts counting sales and streams at 00:01 on Fridays, the typical release day for major labels. However, Tyler released his eighth studio album at 06:00 EST on Monday, three days after the week’s chart tracking began.
The 33-year-old artist, whose full name is Tyler Gregory Okonma, has previously criticized weekend releases, citing “passive listening” during weekends and advocating for weekday releases. In an interview with Canadian music journalist Nardwuar, Tyler explained, “I think if you put it out during the week, man, that commute to work, or that commute to school… you really have that hour, 30 minutes to really dive in and really listen.”
He suggested that weekend music listening often occurs in settings such as parties or as background noise, which can result in less attentive listening. Despite this, he acknowledged in the same interview that missing out on nearly half the week’s streams and sales could be a “dumb idea.”
Previously, new releases were issued on Mondays, following the announcement of the previous week’s chart on Sunday evening. This changed to Fridays in July 2015 as part of a global strategy to launch New Music Fridays in over 45 countries, based on consumer research indicating fans preferred listening to new music over the weekend.
Music chart analyst Chris Molanphy agrees with Tyler’s perspective, stating, “I never loved that [weekend release] date. I found it kind of weird we were competing with movies and everything like that.” Films are also typically released towards the end of the week, usually on Fridays.
Despite the dominance of streaming, physical and download sales of a full album significantly impact chart success due to their weighted contribution. If “Chromakopia” also tops the US charts, it will be Tyler’s third number one album, even though he has never achieved a top 10 single.
On his website, fans can purchase various vinyl versions of the new album, bundled with original merchandise. “He’s a marketing genius,” Molanphy said. “Tyler knows how to package his albums, his covers are beautiful to look at.”
A report last year revealed that only 50% of vinyl consumers own a record player, making cover art especially important. Tyler’s 2019 album “Igor,” with its striking pink design, remained on the Billboard vinyl chart for 160 weeks.
Tyler has previously won the Grammy for Best Rap Album twice, and four of his previous albums have reached the top 10 in the UK.
However, not everyone praised the Monday morning release of “Chromakopia.” Music business journalist Eamonn Forde called it a “marketing gimmick,” stating, “The entire point of streaming is you need to get as much of a head of steam as possible in a chart week. Every minute counts.”
While the strategy worked for Tyler, other artists might not see the same success. “Hip-hop is renowned for trying new sales tactics,” Molanphy said. “It’s possible it will set a model for other artists to follow, but not everybody is Tyler, The Creator.”
On this week’s singles chart, Gigi Perez secured the number one spot with “Sailor Song,” ending the nine-week reign of Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Taste.”
