To what extent are stars and/or celebrities important to the promotion of your three main texts?

To what extent are stars and/or celebrities important to the promotion of your three main texts? 

'Nevermind' is an album by 90's Grunge band Nirvana, released on September 1991, on DGC records. Consisting of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Kris Novoselic, Nirvana heralded from the sleepy town of Aberdeen in Seattle. Kurt Cobain (Lead Guitarist and Vocalist) was catapulted to fame in the early 1990's when Nevermind managed to top the Billboard top 200 Charts in January 2002, Knocking Michael Jackson off the top spot. Cobain, an unkempt unassuming star, became a widely regarded figure head for rebellion and anarchy, most prominent in a generation of teenagers who under-represented in the music industry with the dominance of glam rock bands and flamboyant stars. Cobain importance in the promotion of 'Nevermind' is evident through his legacy and influence upon his fans. Performances in which Cobain pulled publicity stunts such as on the Jonathan Ross show and Top of the Pops in December 1991, widely publicized the band and marketed the highly profitable image Cobain and his band projected. Taking influence from Punk in his favourable scruffy clothes and messy appearance, DGC projected sales of 250,000 upon launch of 'Nevermind', which was grossly underestimated, and to this day 'Nevermind' has sold over 30 million copies, aided by the introduction of digital marketing platforms such as iTunes and Spotify. The absence of such digital marketing technology in the 1990's meant that Cobain's TV Performances and interviews had to make an impact on the music industry, and in a atmosphere where the objectification and degradation of women was rife, Cobain held strong feminist attitudes. It can be argued that modern day sales of Nirvana records are heavily due Cobain's creation of the genre Grunge, which is emulated by many groups today, and 'Nevermind' has continued to retain its ability to be relevant to audiences today.
Cobain's marketable image of being attractive and highly influential has had an undeniable influence upon the promotion of 'Nevermind' till to this day.

Conversely, 'Born This Way' is Lady Gaga's thirst studio album, released on Interscope records in May 2011, and 'Born This Way's promotion could not be more different to Nirvana's 'Nevermind'. Lady Gaga is and was arguably one of the biggest popstars at the time of 'Born This Way's release, and is a pioneer of using digital promotion and social media to sell records and build marketability. Lady Gaga currently has 66 Million Facebook likes, 45 Million Twitter followers, and 5 Million YouTube followers, and interacts with her fans through forming a parasocial relationship. Lady Gaga is highly appreciative of her fans support for her, regularly re-tweeting Lady Gaga tattoos, pictures taken at her concerts, and fan artwork. Through this interaction on her social media sides she manages to form a relationship in which the fan believes is 2-way, building a bigger bond between herself and her fans, thus increasing sales and forming a loyal fan base who attend her all-continent spanning world tours, such as the 'Born This Way Ball'. Her twitter, currently valued at around $30 million, was one third of her annual $90 earnings in 2011, proving how influential her 'star' status is to her promotion and revenue. By referring to her fans as 'Little Monsters' and herself as 'Mother Monster', she hypothetically assumes the mother role and guardian of her fans, who due to her all-accepting, pro-individuality nature, look up to her and see her as a role model, which in turn results in an extremely loyal fan base.
Her use of social media and digital marketing is undeniable, and iTunes has been an important factor in her promotion. She has appeared at the iTunes festival in 2011, and 'Born This Way' was promoted on the front page of the iTunes store, which is viewed by thousands per day. 
Her use of music videos have also been influential in the promotion of her records. 'Born This Way', 'Judas', 'Marry the Night', 'You & I' and 'Edge of Glory' were accompanied by short film esque videos, in which Gaga appears in her typical flamboyant, artistically inspired way, consequently creating a media discussion and publicity regarding her unique videos. 
It is fair to argue Lady Gaga's 'star' image has been incredibly important in her promotion and marketing, and the construction of her characters and exploitation of digital technology has invaluably maximized her record sales and her marketable image.

In great contrast is Radiohead. 'The King of Limbs', released in February 2011, was self-released, and was greatly received by Radiohead Loyal Fan base. The importance of a 'Star' or 'Celebrity' has arguably not been as important as with Lady Gaga and to an extend Nirvana, however Radioheads reputation of constructing experimental, niche records has been the determining factor in ensuring their success. In comparison to 'Nevermind' and 'Born this Way's pop constructed songs, Radiohead's unique genre has led them to release records to appease their own fan base, and provide music with an alternative to over saturated chart music. Coming off the back of 2008's 'In Nude', 'The King of Limbs' was released digitally via the bands website in February 2011, a few days before the official release date. This cleverly increased digital sales, as the loyal fan base could purchase 'The King of Limbs' initially, and then be sold the following collectors edition 'Newspaper' edition released after the digital release. Releasing without a record label has allowed Radiohead to be less dependent and puppeteer-ed by a record company, allowing them to more freely distribute their records the way the see fit. Radiohead made 100% profit from digital sales, and proved that the lack of a 'celebrity' or 'star' does not lead to poor promotion or sales. 
'Live from the Basement' was shown upon various international channels, including Sky Arts 1, and was later released on Blu-ray, promoted via the bands website and formats such as iTunes, in which it retailed for £8.99. 
'Lotus Flower' remains the one and only single released from 'The King of Limbs', and its artistic niche nature appeased Radiohead's loyal fan base, and due to previous successes in 'OK Computer' and 'In Rainbows', did not require the huge media promotion as did Lady Gaga due to the already established media acclaim and fan base. The latter was released in a 'pay what you want' experiment, in which digitally released on the band website, allowed fans to pay what you want, which surprisingly lead them to sell more than any previous record.
Regarding the lack of celebrity factor in Radiohead, their established reputation of one of the great English bands of the last 20 years led them to self-promoting and taking advantage of various marketing formats such as their website and 'Live from the Basement'.
In conclusion it is clear that all three texts are promoted in very different ways, Lady Gaga's celebrity image has been important to the marketing of her records but so has Radiohead's introverted more artistically styled niche lack of dependence upon record labels. Nirvana can be compared to Lady Gaga through their publicity stunts and controversial performances, however allbeit in different era's, and the modern day celebrity status of Kurt Cobain has been important in their sustained success.