Beyoncé's iTunes Exclusive stealth release sells 80,000 copies in three hours

It came out of nowhere when no one expected it, yet Beyoncé's new self-titled visual album on iTunes gained unprecedented buzz and despite being exclusive as an online download only on iTunes, is said to have sold 80,000 copies in three hours. It is unprecedented for an artist to suddenly release an album (and a bunch of videos) without the requisite promotion from record labels, recording studios and the usual build-up that has long been the norm in the industry. By going digital download first, Beyoncé is applying the Netflix approach of putting everything out there in one go and it is working. The buzz has been tremendous and while it is debatable that less popular artists could enjoy the same success, this move really changes the game for musicians.