When pop sensation, Beyoncé relased her album at midnight last Thursday, it was uncertain how the album will be able to sell in huge numbers with no promotion or any lead singles. The album is breaking records and most retailers will be able to get the hard copy this week. Giant retailer, Target decides that they will not sell Beyoncé’s new self-titled albumBeyoncé because the singer chose to release the album online first.
The album is now available for download on iTunes and it has sold 800,000 copies worldwide and 617,000 copies in the U.S. It also shattered records by selling 80,000 copies in three hours.
The hard copy will be in stores on Friday, Dec.20.
“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 sale projections, ”Target spokesperson Erica Julkowski tells Billboard.
“While there are many aspects that contribute to our approach and we have appreciated partnering with Beyoncé 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 Beyoncé’s new self-titled album ‘Beyoncé.’”
Walmart decided that will be carrying the album.
Walmart is “happy to be able to carry her album and support all physical music,” says Walmart spokesperson Sarah McKinney. Walmart will not be carrying the explicit version, of course, but it should be available by this week.