The Beyoncé Album That Changed Everything
10 years ago this week, Beyoncé released what many fans consider her defining work: Her fifth studio album, simply titled Beyoncé. From a production standpoint, the album was a feat, but what makes it significant isn’t only the music—it’s the way it shifted her career. Beyoncé marks the moment that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter stopped playing by the rules of the industry, and instead put the industry under her own will.
The album's origin story is certified pop culture lore at this point. The clock struck twelve on Friday, December 13th, 2013 and without any promotion, easter eggs, or clues to fans—let alone music-world professionals—Beyoncé dropped her fifth studio album. The tactic was unheard of at the time; albums normally dropped earlier in the week to better account for Billboard charting and overall sales counts, and releasing an album with little to no promotion was considered a sure pathway to a flop.
Beyoncé could only be purchased as a whole (on iTunes or physically via CD in stores) because the star wanted people to experience the entire project at once. "People don't make albums anymore,” she said in her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream. "They just try to sell a bunch of little quick singles. And they burn out, and they put out a new one, and they burn out, and they put out a new one."
This was also highly controversial, but the album proved that fan demand can drive the success of a project, even without corporate marketing teams or soulless press runs. Beyoncé sold 828,773 units in its first three days, making it the fastest-selling album ever on iTunes at the time of its release. It went on to win three Grammy awards the following year.
The album's origin story is certified pop culture lore at this point. The clock struck twelve on Friday, December 13th, 2013 and without any promotion, easter eggs, or clues to fans—let alone music-world professionals—Beyoncé dropped her fifth studio album. The tactic was unheard of at the time; albums normally dropped earlier in the week to better account for Billboard charting and overall sales counts, and releasing an album with little to no promotion was considered a sure pathway to a flop.
Beyoncé could only be purchased as a whole (on iTunes or physically via CD in stores) because the star wanted people to experience the entire project at once. "People don't make albums anymore,” she said in her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream. "They just try to sell a bunch of little quick singles. And they burn out, and they put out a new one, and they burn out, and they put out a new one."
This was also highly controversial, but the album proved that fan demand can drive the success of a project, even without corporate marketing teams or soulless press runs. Beyoncé sold 828,773 units in its first three days, making it the fastest-selling album ever on iTunes at the time of its release. It went on to win three Grammy awards the following year.