The Music Critic in the Age of the Insta-Release

Last week, the rapper Kendrick Lamar released “untitled unmastered.,” a collection of eight new songs. He announced their spontaneous début simply by tweeting a link to the iTunes store. Earlier this winter, Kanye West and Rihanna each issued full-length records without explicit prior warning (there was coy, then less coy, hinting from both), thwarting the more traditional channels of publicity in which a new album is announced, promoted, and sent to critics in advance of its release date. The come-and-get-it approach (successfully employed, in the past, by Radiohead, Beyoncé, U2, and others) remains a luxury afforded only to established artists, for whom global celebrity guarantees copious press. But it’s a luxury that has been embraced with impunity by this platinum class: now, we move forward presuming big new releases are lurking around each corner, a series of coiled springs waiting to be sprung.