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iTunes-exclusive Beyoncé album breaks a million sales in five days

Beyoncé’s surprise move in releasing a previously-unannounced album exclusively on iTunes seems to have paid off big-time: after setting a new iTunes record as the fastest-selling album ever, the self-titled BEYONCÉ album has now sold more than a million copies in just five days.

It’s quite an achievement, especially at a time when music downloads may have passed their peak, but as music industry analyst Bob Lefsetz observed (via AtD), it doesn’t mean other artists can expect to pull off the same trick.

It’s a stunt. No different from Radiohead’s “In Rainbows.” Unrepeatable by mere mortals, never mind wannabes and also-rans […]

The bottom line is Beyonce is a superstar. And superstars get traction. And everybody else is close to ignored. And you become a superstar by having a bunch of money and power behind you.

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Comments

  1. Lee (@leemahi) - 11 years ago

    She’s pretty awesome. I hope Kanye does this next with an amazing album.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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