Beyoncé Breaks iTunes Records, Sells 828,773 Albums in Just Three Days

Apple usually brags about its iPhone and iPad sales, but today the company is bragging about its “Beyoncé” sales.  Beyoncé’s self-titled album released last Friday, Dec. 13, has become the fastest selling album ever on iTunes, the company announced this morning. In just three days it has been downloaded 828,773 times from the digital music service. It also broke the U.S. first week album sales record — previously held by Taylor Swift — with 617,213 sold.

Of course, the fact that the album was available exclusively through iTunes and not via any other digital music service helped push along the sales. Additionally, fans couldn’t buy single songs for the usual 99 cent price; instead they were forced to buy the whole album for $15.99.  The album, however, included more than just 14 songs. It also came with 17 videos. You could watch only 30 second snippets of each video clip on YouTube. Called Beyoncé’s first visual album, it also included tracks from her husband Jay-Z, R&B singer Frank Ocean and rapper Drake. Another big draw? The closing track, “Blue,” features her daughter Blue Ivy in the video.
“I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it,” Beyoncé said. “I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans.” The statement echoes what Jay-Z said when he released his first single from “Magna Carta Holy Grail” exclusively on Samsung phones back in June.
Going into the holiday season, the sales of “Beyonce” on iTunes should only rise, but Apple’s exclusive deal with the Grammy-winning singer will end soon. A double disc CD/DVD will be available at retail stores in time for the holidays, her record label said.
article by Joanna Stern via abcnews.go.com