In addition to Target bailing out on carrying the new Beyonce CD, Amazon too will not be selling Beyonce’s new self-titled album. But while the online retailer will not make the CD available for MP3 purchase, physical copies can be found on Amazon via third-party sellers, reports the Huffington Post.
Also, as Billboard noted Amazon has not provided “Beyonce” with any prime real estate. The album is only visible when searched. But will consumers buy an actual CD when we live in an MP3 driven world? While physical sales continued to decline in 2012, they still beat the rising digital sales.
Perhaps that explains why Beyonce was shopping in Walmart this weekend. And while she was there shopping for Blue Ivy, she took to the store loudspeaker to announce that she was paying for the first $50 of the purchases for the 750 people in the store, a total of $37, 500. Take that! Clip after the jump.
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December 17, 2013
In just four days after its release, Beyoncé’s new self-titled album has become the fastest-selling album ever worldwide in the iTunes Store, according to iTunes and Columbia Records.
But despite this record-breaking success, don’t expect to find the CD at Target. And it isn’t over recent complaints that the material is too explicit, but because Bey went the digital route first.
“At Target we focus on offering our guests a wide assortment of physical CDs, and when a new album is available digitally before it is available physically, it impacts demand and sales projections,” Target spokesperson Erica Julkowski tells Billboard.
She continues, “While there are many aspects that contribute to our approach and we have appreciated partnering with Beyonce in the past, we are primarily focused on offering CDs that will be available in a physical format at the same time as all other formats. At this time, Target will not be carrying Beyonce’s new self-titled album ‘Beyonce.’”
Perhaps Target is upset it didn’t get an exclusive deal with the singer as it has done in the past. “Beyonce has previously worked with Target to give the retailer exclusive editions of her albums. Her last studio release, 2011′s ’4,’ had a version exclusive to Target that came with six additional tracks,” reports another Billboard article. Bey also did a TV commercial for the retailer, where the singer declared, “I put so much into my new album, and only Target gives you all of it.”
The BeyHive, angry over this injustice, is attacking. One fan tweeted ”I’m on my way to Target ya’ll better have Beyone’s album or I’m gonna make a mistake and SLIP, FALL, & BREAK MY NECK in Electronics.”
“Beyonce” was released at 12 a.m. EST on the morning of Friday, Dec. 13, exclusively via iTunes without any pre-release announcement. According to iTunes and Columbia Records, the CD sold 617,000 copies in the U.S. and 828,773 total worldwide through Dec. 15, making it the largest single week ever on the U.S. iTunes Store and the fastest-selling album worldwide in the iTunes Store.
iTunes will be the exclusive seller of the album through Dec. 18. On that day some brick-and-mortar retailers in the U.S. could begin to getting copies of the album. But most physical retailers will have it by Dec. 20.
While Target has opted not to sell the new CD, Best Buy and Walmart will have it on their shelves. Walmart will only carry the non-explicit version of “Beyonce,” but Walmart spokesperson Sarah McKinney says it is “happy to be able to carry her album and support all physical music.”
According to Billboard iTunes is the largest seller of music in the U.S., with about a 41 percent share of the market in 2012. Walmart has 10 percent. Amazon with nine percent and Target with five percent were the third and fourth-largest sellers, respectively.
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