The music industry felt a major shift this past week when in the dead of night without any pomp and circumstance the singing sensation Beyoncé released her latest album. Unlike the long and drawn out PR stunts and music leaks of other music artists, Beyoncé let the product speak for itself. There was no hype just substance to be judged on its own merit after the first notes were heard.
Along with the album she released teasers of the videos that will be released as singles are issued from the album. This made the video release not only an audio release but also a visual one. The news spread quickly and not only were news agencies reporting on the album but social media was buzzing with positive promotion that did not require someone swinging naked on a construction wrecking ball.
It was not only the way in which Beyoncé released her album that was refreshing but the fact that she remained an artist and let her music be the forefront of getting her name in the news. It was very unlike the latest stunts of other top performers that have been compelled to sell themselves short with promotional news that had little to do with their art form and more to do with attempting to get trending spots on social media and news listings with personal antics.
Her self-titled album surprise release on Friday was a success in the promotional arena but it also was a success in the sales category where it counts. It broke records for first week sales which was actually only three days long for the counted time period. It became the first week record selling album for U.S. iTunes store with 617,213 downloads. Worldwide there were 828,773 downloads which set a record for global iTunes sales which also made the album the fastest selling album in iTunes history.
Other benchmarks set by Beyoncé’s latest album:
It is currently the number one album in 104 countries
It is the biggest sales week ever for Beyoncé
It is the biggest sales week for a female artist in 2013
With such surprising numbers and the exceptional word of mouth promotion of the album there will no doubt be others that will attempt to replicate the success of Beyoncé with her latest release. The ability to purchase immediately upon the anticipation of a new album mirrors the “quick in hand” demand from today’s customer. The long drawn out publicity and early single release strategies that used to work leave the public bored and moved on emotionally by the time they can purchase.
This same selling strategy is likely to be replicated in other industries such as the movie industry and fashion.
What do you think of the tactic used in releasing Beyoncé’s latest album? Do you think it was a smart move, refreshing, or do you like a head’s up on when to expect a new release? Let us know with your comment below. We also invite you to check out our free downloads section and the latest album release from CAISO. For booking a live performance check for more information here: Booking or contact us through here: Contact.
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