In December 2013, music superstar Beyoncé is about to surprise her fans with the release of her self-titled record. The team at her firm Parkwood Entertainment, which general manager Lee Anne Callahan-Longo described as "a direction, music, and generation company that's owned and at the maximal level run by means of an artist," had chosen to release the whole album at the same time and only via the Apple iTunes Store, with no preceding promotion-a significant, and potentially quite risky, departure from how music was traditionally released.
Sony Music label Columbia Records, along with whom Parkwood partnered on the recorded-music venture, distributed the costs and therefore also the risk of the album, which had remained one-and-a-half years in development phase and was particularly expensive proposition due of the innumerable videos. What might be the reaction of music industry insiders and lovers respond to daring launch, unveiled via Beyoncé’s Facebook and Instagram accounts? Does the album have the ability to search for a big enough audience even without traditional promotional tasks? And would there be any adverse reactions, for example from traditional music retailers refusing to carry the physical album later on?
PUBLICATION DATE: August 28, 2014 PRODUCT #: 515036-PDF-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about SALES & MARKETING
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