EPIC AF: WILL THE LONG TAIL WAG THE DOG?

Epic Records has just released Epic AF, a compilation featuring previously released tracks from Future, DJ Khaled (“For Free” f/Drake), Kent Jones, Young Thug & Travi$ Scott and others. What’s unique about this release is it’s a streaming-only album of previously released material, not just a playlist. That makes it eligible to chart not only with streaming-equivalent albums (SEA) but also with TEA (track-equivalent albums), as the individual track sales will be applied to the highest-charting album on which they appear.

Is the "long tail" of streaming, whereby songs remain highly active long after their travels up and down the radio and sales charts, now influencing release strategy?

Initial projections suggest a first-week chart number of 15-20k. Previously, Kanye West charted with album sales + SEA while Chance The Rapper charted with SEA only. Epic AF will mark the first time an album has charted with only SEA + TEA. But the implications of this style of release go well beyond chart debuts. Could this become a new model for compilations? Could this model extend the lives of songs from artists with single-only deals? And most importantly, could this model be successful in the development of new artists? Expect to see more releases like this in the future.