Beyonce’s new album has become the fastest-ever seller on iTunes with more than 800,000 downloads in its first three days.
The self-titled album, the US superstar’s fifth, was released out of the blue on Friday and includes 14 songs, 17 videos, and collaborations with husband Jay Z, Drake and Frank Ocean.
An Apple spokeswoman said the iTunes Store sold 828,773 albums in three days.
Hit-maker: Beyonce Knowles performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana
On the day of its release, iTunes – which is Apple’s music download division – said the release was ‘an unprecedented strategic move by the artist to deliver music and visual content directly to her fans when she wants to and how she wants to, with no filter’.
With no ‘middle man’, fans are being encouraged to form their own opinions after listening to and watching the tracks.
Beyonce added: ‘I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it. I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans.
‘I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans.’
Game-changer: iTunes described Beyonce’s decision to secretly release her album as ‘an unprecedented move’
The undisputed queen: Beyonce is set to hit the number one spot on Billboard with new self-titled album, pictured performing in Chicago on Friday
The singer’s fifth solo album opted out of the standard three month marathon of promotional stints, reviews, and dropping individual singles.
Instead, the trend setter released the entire album in one fell swoop without any fanfare.
Currently the offering is an iTunes exclusive with a retail price of $15.99 with 14 tracks, a release date for the physical CD has yet to be announced.
When she reached the 430,000 over the weekend she was already on the cusp of ranking near Taylor Swift’s record breaking 1.2 million copies for Red in its first week.
Reason to celebrate: The 32-year-old is set for number one after hitting over 430,000 sales so far
Big show: The star is still on her Ms Carter tour
Meanwhile Beyonce brought music giant iTunes to its knees on Friday night as it buckled under the strain of her fans rushing to download her 5th album which she secretly launched at midnight.
Two versions of the self-titled album – one featuring explicit language and another family-friendly version – are currently ranked No.1 and 2 of the iTunes albums chart.
Source:https://www.dailymail.co.uk