Chris Brown's 45-track album Heartbreak on a Full Moon came out early Tuesday morning. A day in advance of its release, the singer put out a message to his fans on Instagram to encourage them to buy the album. That, of course, is not unusual.
What was unusual was the amount of detail in the missive.
Because the album is being released on Halloween in order to go along with the project's horror-themed imagery, and that holiday falls on a Tuesday rather than a Friday, only the first three days of sales and streams will count towards the Billboard 200 album chart. This is a theme returned to over and over in the post.
The instructions start out simply enough: "Buy it on iTunes and tweet/IG the link and a screenshot of your receipt," it reads. But once you buy it on iTunes, you're not supposed to actually listen to it. Instead, you're encouraged to only play it on streaming services (leaving the album on repeat is recommended). There are even instructions on how to set up a free trial account.
And that's not all. If you do buy the album, Team Breezy suggests you purchase multiple copies. But if you do that, make sure each copy is on a separate receipt. ("ONE RECEIPT IS ONE SALE," the message exclaims).
Also recommended: messing with record store displays to make sure HBOAFM is visible ("we aren't playing nice," we're reminded. "[W]e are here to get Chris the recognition and respect he deserves"); using the hashtag "BuyHBOAFMOniTunes"; and sharing the streaming links to "all your social media timelines."
But as it turns out, even this chapter-long IG message ended up missing something.
Many observers were less than impressed with the instructions.
The message's ultimate success or failure will be judged when the next Billboard 200 chart comes out. Keep your eyes peeled.
