Tim Mcgrady
It takes a lot more to be a successful music artist than just talent and good music. In today’s world of short attention spans and viral media, getting noticed can be just as important as what’s actually being promoted. Some artists have gone to incredible — and downright bizarre — lengths to market their songs. From publicity stunts to social media antics, here are 10 of the strangest ways musicians have promoted their work.
1. Aphex Twin’s Logo in the Sky (2018)
Electronic music pioneer Aphex Twin is famously reclusive, but he knows how to make an entrance. In 2018, before announcing his Collapse EP, mysterious Aphex Twin logos appeared as 3D projections in the skies over cities like London, New York, and Los Angeles.
People had no idea what it meant at first—was it alien contact? A tech ad? When fans realized it was Aphex Twin, the internet exploded.
2. Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo” as a Living, Changing Album
Only Kanye West could turn indecision into an art form. When he released The Life of Pablo in 2016, he claimed it would be exclusive to Tidal. Then he proceeded to update the album several times post-release, changing lyrics and mixing tracks even after people had already heard them. The unconventional release strategy created a sense of urgency and mystery, keeping fans guessing and streaming constantly to catch the latest version. It was part musical innovation, part performance art, and entirely Kanye.
3. Björk’s App Album
Leave it to Icelandic singer Björk to turn an album into a piece of interactive technology. In 2011, she released Biophilia not just as an album but as a series of interconnected apps — one for each song. The apps allowed users to manipulate visuals and sounds in real time, essentially letting fans “play” the music. It was part science, part art installation, and entirely unique in its attempt to redefine what an album could be in the digital age.
4. U2 Forcibly Downloaded Their Album to Everyone’s iPhone
In 2014, U2 released their album Songs of Innocence by giving it away for free to every iTunes user — whether they wanted it or not. Apple users worldwide woke up to find the album already sitting in their music libraries. What was meant to be a generous surprise turned into a PR nightmare. The backlash was so strong that Apple eventually had to release a tool specifically to help people remove the album. Strange? Yes. Memorable? Absolutely.
5. OK Go’s Treadmill Antics and Viral Videos
While not a single one-time stunt, OK Go practically invented the modern music video viral campaign. Their 2006 video for “Here It Goes Again,” featuring the band performing a choreographed routine on moving treadmills, became one of the earliest viral sensations on YouTube. Rather than rely on traditional promotion, OK Go leaned fully into creating visually captivating, low-budget videos that people couldn’t stop sharing. Each video since has been more intricate, strange, and innovative.
6. Post Malone’s Nirvana Tribute Livestream During Lockdown
Post Malone pulled off one of the most surprisingly effective promotional stunts during the COVID-19 lockdown. Instead of a typical release, he livestreamed a full set of Nirvana covers — dressed in a pink dress, no less — raising over $500,000 for COVID-19 relief. Though it wasn’t promoting a specific single, the stunt reinforced his genre-blending credibility and reminded fans of his musical range, all while drawing millions of views.
7. Will.i.am’s Song From Mars
Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am took music promotion interplanetary. In 2012, his song “Reach for the Stars” was broadcast from the surface of Mars using NASA’s Curiosity rover. The song traveled over 300 million miles to Earth — a promotional move no one had tried before (for obvious reasons). While the music itself wasn’t a smash hit, the Mars stunt earned media coverage far beyond the usual music outlets and tied the artist to a sense of futuristic innovation.
8. Deadmau5’s Troll-Fueled Self-Promotion
Deadmau5 is as famous for his antics as he is for his electronic music. He’s been known to engage in trolling sprees online, challenge fans to games on Twitch, and even drive around in a custom-built Nyan Cat Ferrari. One of his stranger promotions involved live-streaming himself sitting in a cube for hours doing absolutely nothing — a satirical dig at performance art and live-stream culture. Somehow, it worked: people tuned in, memes were born, and the mystique of Deadmau5 grew stronger.
9. Madonna’s Surprise Album Leak That Wasn’t a Leak
In 2014, Madonna “accidentally” leaked six songs from her upcoming album Rebel Heart after unfinished versions surfaced online. She framed the situation as a major betrayal and cyberattack — likening it to “artistic rape” — which generated both outrage and curiosity. Later, it was revealed that the leaked versions were likely released on purpose as part of a guerrilla-style promotion. If it was a stunt, it worked: fans and media dove into the controversy, and the tracks trended heavily.
10. Wu-Tang Clan’s $2 Million Single-Copy Album
Perhaps the most enigmatic promotional move in music history came from the Wu-Tang Clan, who recorded a single copy of their secret album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. The group stored it in a silver box and auctioned it off to the highest bidder — which turned out to be controversial pharma executive Martin Shkreli, who paid $2 million. The stunt sparked a conversation about the value of music in the age of streaming. Years later, the U.S. government seized the album and sold it again. While fans couldn’t hear it, the myth of the album became a legend in itself.
11. Kanye West Debuting an Album on a Stem Player (2022)
Never one to follow the crowd, Kanye West—now known as Ye—decided to bypass traditional streaming services and instead released Donda 2 exclusively on his custom $200 Stem Player.
This small device allowed fans to remix and isolate different elements of his music, which was unique—but also meant fans had to buy hardware just to hear his new album.
Unconventional? Definitely. Brilliant? Maybe. Donda 2 became a music tech experiment more than an album launch.
12. The Flaming Lips’ Bubble Concert (2021)
The Flaming Lips have never been shy about weirdness, but they outdid themselves during the pandemic. For a series of socially-distanced shows, both the band and the audience were inside giant plastic bubbles.
Imagine watching a concert while encased in your own personal hamster ball. It was half concert, half science experiment, and a PR goldmine.
13. Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress… and the “Fame Monster” Machine (2010)
Lady Gaga’s 2010 VMA appearance in a raw meat dress wasn’t just shock art—it was tied to the themes of her “Born This Way” era, which tackled ideas of consumption, identity, and fame.
Around the same time, she promoted her “Fame Monster” album with a perfume that reportedly smelled like blood and semen (her words). Whether you find it disgusting or genius, it kept her name in the headlines.
14. Deadmau5’s Ice Cream Truck Tour (2014)
EDM icon Deadmau5 took a delightfully bizarre route to promote new music—he toured major cities in an ice cream truck, handing out frozen treats and playing spontaneous DJ sets.
It was a playful stunt that generated massive foot traffic and social media buzz. Fans loved it, and press coverage was sweetened by the gimmick.
15. OK Go’s Zero-Gravity Music Video (2016)
OK Go are kings of viral video marketing, but their video for “Upside Down & Inside Out” pushed things to insane heights—literally.
They filmed the entire video in zero gravity on a parabolic flight, which simulates weightlessness by flying in giant loops. The planning was intense, the results were stunning, and it racked up tens of millions of views within days.
16. Tyler, the Creator’s Hidden Album Billboards (2019)
When IGOR was about to drop, Tyler, the Creator took a minimalist approach. He placed cryptic billboards in random locations with no branding—just the phrase “DO NOT GO INTO THAT BUILDING.”
The mystery sparked a frenzy online. Fans cracked the code, and the campaign helped push IGOR to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings