Beyonce is selling hundreds of thousands of albums on iTunes. Her album is getting some of the best reviews of her career. Beyonce is back on top (although when was not on top?). Everything is coming up Beyonce-smelling roses! Except there is a dark force in Bey-empire. A minor crack that won’t majorly affect Beyonce or her sales, but it’s still a needless story in all of the Bey-praise. Apparently, Target is all “Beyonce, who cares?” Oooo, Target… it’s going to get BAD.
While Beyonce’s new fast-selling self-titled album is sure to be on many Christmas wish lists, there’s at least one major retailer that’s opting not to sell the album: Target.
“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.'”
Columbia Records released “Beyonce” at 12 AM EST on the morning of Friday, Dec. 13, exclusively via iTunes without any pre-release announcement. They are the exclusive seller of the album through at least Dec. 18, when some brick-and-mortar retailers in the U.S. could begin to receive copies of the album. Most physical retailers will receive it by Friday, Dec. 20. It is understood that the album will not have any additional bonus or exclusive content, for any retailer.
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. She also starred in a TV commercial for the retailer, where the singer can be heard saying “I put so much into my new album, and only Target gives you all of it.”
Billboard estimates that iTunes is the largest seller of music in the U.S., with about a 41% share of the market in 2012. Walmart had 10%, while Amazon (9%) and Target (5%) were the third and fourth-largest sellers, respectively.
However, another major retailer, Walmart, will be carrying “Beyonce” — and it should be in their stores by the end of the week.
Walmart is “happy to be able to carry her album and support all physical music,” says Walmart spokesperson Sarah McKinney. (As per Walmart’s long-standing policy, they will only carry the non-explicit version of “Beyonce.”)
“Beyonce” this week set sales records in the iTunes Store after only three days on sale. According to iTunes and Columbia Records, Beyonce’s record label, the album sold 617,000 copies in the U.S. and 828,773 worldwide through Sunday night (Dec. 15). That marks both the largest single week ever in both the U.S. iTunes Store, and, the fastest-selling album worldwide in the iTunes Store.
I think I have to defend Beyonce a little bit on this one. There’s absolutely no reason for Target to be so cavalier about the new album. It sounds like Target is A) pissed that iTunes got the album first and for a full week before the CD came out and B) that most of the sales will be from iTunes and they (Target) didn’t even get a chance to have an exclusive relationship with Beyonce. But… people are still going to go out and buy the tangible CD. Bey-stans will want a tangible copy. So… I guess Target is telling the Bey-stans that they don’t want their business. Noted.
Photos courtesy of Beyonce’s Tumblr.
Corporate pouting.
As if Beyoncé needs Target more than they need her.
Um, I don’t think Target is particularly dependent on stocking a Beyonce album. It’s ranked 36th on the Fortune 500 and is the second biggest discount retailer in the US. As successful as Beyonce is, her CD’s aren’t exactly a key factor in a multinational corporation’s decision making.
36th on the Fortune 500? I can’t figure that out. Target moved in to Canada with great fanfare but their stores are full of cheap ugly cr*p and nobody shops there. You may as well go to a real dollar store and pay a quarter the price for the same garbage.
I agree this is a bad move by target. Since 2011 physical sales have been less than digital sales. If target wants to be competitive they need to accept this fact and not trying to punish artists because of it. Beyoncé will not be the only artist to release albums this way especially if it means higher album sales and not just single sales.
You get that Target only stock CD’s because they’re still working off an outdated loss-leader model? It’s hardly the backbone of their business, it’s just one very small section they aren’t quite ready to completely phase out yet. If they stopped stocking all CD’s tomorrow they’d carry on just fine.
Penny, yes I absolutely get that…which is why I find it especially silly for them to try and take this stance as if it is going to stop the tide from turning to digital. As I said in another comment earlier, they either need to create a digital music marketplace of their own or give up on the music department all together.
CD’s suck, with all the scratching they end up with. Bring on non-physical music!
Yea, Target sounds hurt. I think they are making a mistake. I’ve read online where several stans can’t wait to buy the physical copy.
Not I though. I’m not about that life.
Well this just sounds petty. There are plenty of people who would have liked to have bought a physical copy of the album. It’s their loss.
I just wish this chick would put on some clothes. I’m sick of all these same outfits in different colors.
music is a loss leader for Target, it really won’t hurt their bottom line. There’s been several artists who CD’s were online first and they didn’t stock those CDs either.
IMO if the physical and digital had been released at the same time and Itune had exclusive tracks, they wouldn’t have had a problem.
Oh come on, Target will sell the record. This was just a way to get their name in the news for the last week of Christmas shopping, ridiculous and a non-story.
They’ll sell it in a few weeks when it’s 5 dollars
Target has an annual revenue greater than the Gross Domestic Product of 120 countries; I doubt the BeeHive blacklisting the store (until they need cheap whatever) is really going to affect their income!
You could flip that argument upside down and argue that them selling an album that may or may not do well isn’t really going to affect their income. There’s more to this than them having done their research and come to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be profitable.
Don’t underestimate the impact of her album being available online for a week. I am seeing a significant change in what stores are carrying this Christmas season. For example, the toy aisles are much smaller this year. People are buying online more and more. It seems to me retailers are rethinking how they use that valuable floor space as a result and Beyonce’s album is a great example.
Every year Target decides not to order thousands of different artists albums because projections show it won’t be profitable. This is only notable because it’s Beyonce, but Beyonce doesn’t matter to the computer program that spits out sales projections, it only cares about the numbers.
Target is a huge corporation, the execs don’t have big discussions about whether or not to order every new release book or CD or DVD.
@Lucinda @Penny I hear you both and I definitely see sense in what you’re saying. I agree somewhat.
This sets a precedent for target that they can’t possibly (and shouldn’t) maintain. Since 2011, digital sales have exceeded physical sales. This trend will not be reversing. Beyoncé won’t be the last artist to release her album this way. Target needs to find a way to work with reality and not just deny this change in music sales has already happened.
I wish Beyonce would buy a country and go there and not come back
I saw a lovely island (near Greece, I think) for sale the other day – a snip at $60 million. Perhaps she and hubby could start their own country there? Bey-Z? Yes, these two should buy a lot of land and naff off. The sooner the better.
Agreed!
Me too! I am going to have to dodge flying objects by saying this, but she is sooooo overrated. There are miles better voices up there. She struck it extremely lucky somewhere along the line. Just cause she is ok looking – Jennifer Hudson would show her up any day – she has an unbelieveable voice.
When I worked for a big retail store years ago almost all our CD sales happened in the first week of release and at least half of each order of CD’s we got in would end up going back to the warehouse. Apparently they were all recycled (landfill more like). I can’t imagine how much wastage there would be now that even people like my 85yr old grandfather are using iTunes and Spotify and so on. I know some people who buy vinyl, but no one I know has bought an actual physical CD in years. So I totally get where Target’s coming from, they know what works for them, why should order a whole bunch of albums that their projections say won’t sell?
This completely.
BOOM!
Target is a business, not a sorority house. I doubt they make decisions like this based on feelings. If they chose not to carry her album, it’s because someone did the math and thought the profit margin wasn’t good enough. No more or less than that.
If you think executives don’t pout and make business decisions based on how petty they can be, you are very wrong.
With rank does not come class or wisdom.
Err. actually, gotta support Faye on this one. O ccasionally unprofessional executives will attempt to make business decisions based on emotions but if they’re not maximising shareholder value, it’s technically aganst most corporate laws and likely the company’s own bye-laws (articles in the UK). These execs can be voted out, or worse, struck off as directors, have charges filed against them etc. Ultimately they have to serve their shareholders or they’re out.
They may have their way with the small stuff but not when they could cost shareholders cash.
Execs at Target would have made a business decision.
Decisions like this aren’t the kind of thing execs spend much time on. They get the projections for the latest releases, they may skim it, they may not. Most likely not this time of year. The actual determinations about what’s worth stocking and what isn’t is made by a computer program.
Endo: (I am way too lazy to copy your whole name)
Good point.
I guess I have known too many petty executives.
It is very possible for this decision to be a bit more involved than just looking at numbers on a report.
They would also take into consideration overall trends and look more long term. I think they are trying to send a message to artists that in order to get Target’s support, you have to include Target on first week sales.
However, I think that is a short sighted strategy in that it might work for the next few years, but it won’t help over the next 5-10 years. . Target needs to either create a digital music market place, or they will have to give up on their music department and just stick to the thousands of other things they sell.
When Frank Ocean’s album came out, Target also made the decision not to sell it saying that their decision was based on the fact that it was released digitally first. However, Target sold an album by Jay Z and Kanye that was released digitally first. Some people said they didn’t sell Frank’s because he had recently said that his first love was a man. I think that it’s not always black and white, it’s not always a decision based on the math.
But they sell music by other gay artists so, that doesn’t really hold. Maybe Target was under the impression they would get another exclusive and when they didn’t they decided they didn’t really need to sell it right now. It never says they won’t sell it in the future.
My argument was that their decisions aren’t always based on numbers and how albums are likely to sell and it still holds. And they’re not entirely gay-friendly either, Lady Gaga ended her partnership with them after it was discovered that they had been donating to political candates and conservative groups who oppose gay rights legislation.
Well since Frank Ocean isn’t nearly as popular and well-known as Jay and Kanye, it’s safe to assume releasing his album digitally first ate into a much bigger percentage of potential physical sales.
Exactly! Target isn’t going to make money, that’s what retail is all about.
blue maria, artist are paid for those exclusives
Being old, I don’t listen to her. I’m still stuck in classic rock, but I see nothing wrong in releasing your music as you want to.
I’m in my 20’s and I listen to classic rock and I don’t care about most pop acts of today.
This ^ love your moniker queenfreddiemercury; my son and all his friends listen to mostly classic rock to grunge with a good helping of the great blues guitarists; there is no way on earth that bey can match Robert Plant or Freddie Mercury – bands and guitarists around the world, young and old, play zeppelin and queen; who 20-30 years from now would waste their time playing Single Ladies? Bey has to saturation market herself because her team knows her “music” doesn’t have the stature that bands like zep and queen had, and still have.
Target just sounds petty and immature.
I’m going to go out and buy the album (even though I already have it on iTunes) because I still like having a physical copy of an album if I reallllllly like it.
I hope a bunch of people buy it from somewhere else now just to spite Target. Especially since they suck here in Canada (well to me at least)
I think Canadian Target sucks too. Why can’t we have the Target that the US has?
Yup, they suck.
I’m in Montreal, they closed all the Zellers stores and replaced them with Target, I can’t really tell the difference except that the stores are cleaner and they seem to have good customer service.
Until now I did not support Target now I do!
+1
I am not impressed. I bet half those number of downloads is her management team buying the album so the deluded stans think it’s great music. Beyonce’s music and schtick is SO played out.
And for all the people always hollering on about how this blog has a hate on for Beyonce…may I suggest you visit some mainstream urban blogs. Get back to me afterwards.
You know I used to be a big Beyonce fan until she became egotistical and insufferable. I don’t hate her but I just don’t care for her much anymore, though I still like some of her music. I must agree with you about the mainstream urban blogs, they let it be known how they feel about her and it can get real personal. Most people never gave much thought into why the other two members of Destiny Child left the group. They never thought about why two girls who were members of the most popular girl group in the world at that time, would just walk away. It wasn’t enough room for them ,Beyonce and Beyonce’s ego. Bey’s father had a hand in it as well.
As for her new album it’s nothing different from Bey. I like a couple of the songs but I wouldn’t pay for it. Drunk on Love is already on the radio but what is so special about that song? Absolutely nothing. I’m not going to knock the girl for her hustle but Bey and her team knew the only way to increase her album sales were to release it that way. Some of the songs and videos are already on YouTube, so why would I pay for the entire album just because Bey is indirectly saying that’s the only way you’re going to be able to enjoy Your Royal Highness music.
@klue
+10000
If half of the people on this site visited the urban blogs.. They are not impressed. The majority of comments is that her Management team bought more than half of the downloads for buzz/sales. That’s why I have to get at least a monthly fix of the urban blogs.. they keep it real. I bet 300k actually downloaded the album. Target probably has the inside scope and know she’s not going to sell physical copies.
Do you really think she changed the game? No, artists will continue promoting their singles to sell albums. Musicians make money from touring, not album/single sales (although they go hand in hand) . Beyoncé didn’t perform at any stadiums in the US because she didn’t have any new material. I doubt she would’ve sold-out a stadium in the first place since she can barely sell out Arenas.
I can’t believe I was once a fan of this girl. Her songs are not memorable. “Crazy in Love” is the only song I still play at times and watch the video. But after the Punked Christmas segment, the HBO documentary, “I can’t believe How powerful I am” Magazine interview, ” I’m not black, I’m Creole” however, she was Black in her earlier years (Houston’s finest hood when she was with DC) when trying to get that Black dollar. ,Presidential inauguration lip sync” I’m a perfectionist”, I had to lip-sync. And her democratic (Obama) allegiance, but she thinks everyone forgot she played for George Bush at a Republican convention.
She’s so full of it..
Add me in with you ladies. I just cannot understand the love for this fake and plagiarizing pop star. She is the same as the rest. She doesn’t write, play an instrument, nothing. Just rips off others and continues to toot her own horn. I have irrational Beyonce hate. I’m just so OVER her, no one listens to her and how many times have you read or heard that people just listen to Crazy in love and that is it.
Pop stars in general just make me mad. I’m going to go listen to some good music to calm my soul. Some Prince or some Muse, they just released Live in Rome and I did buy the physical copy and the DVD. 🙂
I agree. So tired of her shtick. The weave tossing, jerky dancing, walk followed by groin pop and staccato vocals. The costumes that are always the same in different colors. The bland corporate empowerment songs she makes. Also, you know hubby bought a lot of those copies, but the media treats it like an accomplishment. She’s like the Lance Armstrong of music.
@Mac, I thought the same thing!
Beyonce haters unite!
Yes! I was going to comment about this but you guys beat me to it 🙂 No one I know (I’m in my 20s for reference) has bought the album. I bet all the money she saved on promotion went to album sales in order to create buzz. Target knows her sales peaked early and that anyone who was going to buy it already has. It was a smart business decision, I don’t know why Target is being shaded.
“At this time, Target will not be carrying Beyonce’s new self-titled album ‘Beyonce.’”
Doesn’t that say that the album named itself?
I like the first picture of her. She looks so confident. I want to feel that way.
“Doesn’t that say that the album named itself?”
Then take that up with the music industry, Target wasn’t the one that came up with that.
Ok, but does that make sense to you grammatically?
Thank you, I don’t know why they can’t just say ‘eponymous’ instead of ‘self-titled’. It’s a word, people! Are they afraid the general public is too stupid to look up the word if they havent seen it before?
Maybe that exclusive with Beyonce’s last album wasn’t as profitable as Target projected so they are taking a pass on her latest weeks old release.
Plus, it seems to me that CDs/DVDs have less floor space at Target these days. Maybe it’s not as important to their business these days.
I get where Target’s coming from. If the main selling window on the CD is considered closed after being online for a week, why would they bother? Although, they should bother if nothing else for a customer who’d like to buy it. It does send a message to the artists. Whether they care – that’s another matter.
Who cares? & who buys CDs anymore?
Garth Brook’s fans. He sold his album only at Walmart and it sold more than Britney.
I wish there was a target in Amsterdam…I just bought 8 tickets (€96 per ticket)for Amsterdam..Ima gonna sell them for€200 per ticket….ITS LIKE THE CARTERS family < ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS BABY!!!
Albums sell the most in the first week. Target won’t make money from this but Bey won’t be hurt by it either.
As I see it Beyonce gave a big finger to all the music corporations. What she did was risky and brave (if something news worthy came up on the same day of the release she would have been totally ignored from the whole world. Mandela died mere days before, probably if the release was on the same day she wouldn’t be as happy as she is now) and in other words, she cut the crap and went straight to her fans without having to bend to the selling/promotion rules.
I’m no fan of Beyoncè, but she did something different and it’s paying off.
*raises hand* I still buy CDs…I still read liner notes too…and I buy CDs from Target…that’s all.
I love the name of this article. I am a contractor for Target, I’m sitting in their corporate offices as I type this. And I think they sound plain ole bitter.
ha! I’ve got little love for target these days. they’re sending more and more jobs in the department I worked in overseas, yet still championing the company as some great MN supporter. i was a contractor in one of the downtown buildings too.
“So… I guess Target is telling the Bey-stans that they don’t want their business. Noted.” – Sometimes this site can be so dramatic. Not stocking a Beyonce cd that their projections don’t find profitable is not the same as telling every Beyonce fan that they’re not welcome at Target. Calm down.
I think they made the right decision. Most of the people who would buy the album already have it. Very few people buy a physical copy of an album if they already have a digital one.
You know whatever thins out the check-out lines has my support. Sorry I love Target (Tar-Je).
I like Beyonce, but her stans are annoying, call Terminix
I do not like her álbum. The vídeos are beautiful, but the music is not for me.
occam’s razor:
people will still shop at target (like me and get their lil starbucks to go with it)
and
bey fans will find/buy her music
the two don’t have to be mutually inclusive
Bottom Line: It’s her album, she can do whatever she wants with it and sell it to whoever she wants. Also, if artists are smart they’ll always preview their work on Itunes first, not in retail stores. I remember reading somewhere too that artists get more money from Itunes too than other outlets. I’m betting this was purely a business $$$ decision on her part and a smart one. Screw Target.
Well I was gonna buy 4 copies of the CD at Target for my friends. They can lick my taint.
SOOOO glad I’m not the only one NOT falling all over myself to get this! I used to like DC and even Bey as a solo “act,” (artist…lol), but I’m so over it lately, really. Is this what we as women are supposed to admire now adays. Please.
There are so many well worded comments above, I’m glad I’m in good company! 🙂
I downloaded the album for free, so I want to buy a physical copy so that I can pay for it. I don’t really care where I buy it from.
I LOVE Target. I HATE Beyoncé.
Perfect. Now I’m going to buy just at Target.
See that’s why I can’t jump on the Beyonce Bandwagon. When she first came out she seem cool but I don’t know what happened … http://youtu.be/xsPT9pKZSRo