Being the inner stage guide for many of today’s top entertainers, Beyonce (for the sake of SEO we won’t be using the accent) has set standards higher than any other female entertainer before and almost after her too. Today we’re taking a deeper look at seven of the most monumental moves she made in the music business that have had long-term repercussions for everyone. And guess what, each of those boss moves are a lesson in themselves for YOU, the indie artist.
7. She Showed That No Promotion Is Sometimes The BEST Promotion.
On December 13, 2013, the world stopped for a minute and we all grabbed our popcorn to watch her first visual album, Beyonce, which the singer dropped with NO announcement, promotion, or even hints at the project. And boy did she deliver! With a sound never heard before from her, Electro-RnB, Beyonce got us all stunned in the most positive way possible. And the imagery… Don’t even get us started. The non-linear visual narrative touched on delicate topics such as eating disorders, trust issues, insecurities, and monogamous relationship struggles. The album was her 5th consecutive number one album and sold over 617,000 copies in the United States and 828,773 copies worldwide in its first three days of sales, becoming the fastest-selling album in the history of the iTunes Store up to that point. Sheesh!
6. She Proved That Simplicity Is Key.
Many of you may not know that the Single Ladies hit record is Beyonce’s best selling song of all time having been certified quadruple-platinum by the RIAA while internationally, it was 2009’s 7th best-selling digital single with 6.1 million copies sold. The video accompanying the song prompted THAT Kanye West and Taylor Swift moment. So what exactly was so special about the whole Single Ladies phenomenon? Its simplicity. Yes, the song was absolutely genius with a very repetitive motif that instantly stuck to everyone’s ears but the video was even better… The whole thing was made to be consumed and perceived as a one-take shot but it was not. The video took 12 hours to shoot and even more to edit. It is black and white, relying on Beyonce’s entertainer presence, dancing abilities, and the vibes it conveys as a cohesive product. We bet the budget for this overtly simplistic video was nowhere near the big majority of her other visuals. And yet, it made Bey laugh to the bank.
5. She Turned Her Personal Lemons Into A Financial Lemonade.
Yes Jay Z cheated on the Queen of R&B and we don’t know what exactly was going through his mind although on his album 4:44 he basically admitted having had threesomes around the time his wife was either pregnant with Blue or had already given birth to her. Not the cutest stuff to know for the public. But, as always, Beyonce flipped her pain into a huge financial success and released Lemonade in a very similar fashion to Beyonce the album from 2013. She bared it all for the fans and media and we all felt like witnessing the breakdown of their marriage and everyone was on a mission to find out just who the f*ck is “Becky with the good hair.” Lemonade was released on April 23, 2016, was nominated for NINE Grammies and sold 2.5 million copies sold worldwide by the end of the year. The visuals were stellar and on par with the accolades Beyonce received for the album. From floating in the air while the room is filled with water, smashing car windows with a Hot Sauce baseball bat, calling Jay Z a b*tch and showing him kissing her feet, showing off some fire lingerie outfits, dancing in dried out pools, and sinking the police car, the world was NOT ready for the 65-minute masterpiece.
4. She Demonstrated That The Queen’s Policy Of “Don’t Complain Don’t Explain” Has Huge Monetary Value Behind It.
Remember when Beyonce’s sister Solange beat Jay Z in the elevator? The blogs and gossip columns were ON FIRE!!! Everybody wanted to know why and what for and yet, not a single soul from their PR teams or even families said anything about it. Beyonce diligently waited to touch on it in her music and Jay Z took a page out of her book and explained more of the incident years later on 4:44. And so, when the Flawless remix with Nicki Minaj dropped, everybody tuned in because the woman finally talked about the fight in the elevator! That was at the very minimum a million dollars less spent in marketing and promotion. She yet again turned a public embarrassment into a marketing gimmick. F*cking genius. The song was placed at number 7 on Billboard’s 10 Best Songs of 2014 list.
3. She Proved Artists Shouldn’t Ever Get Too Comfortable With Their Place On The Market.
When Beyonce released Black Is King, even the highest of the highest bowed down to her creativity, drive, vision, commitment to excellence. Lizzo hosted an entire watch party for the release on Disney Plus. Adele went as far as twinning in an IG post to show her admiration for the star. Even Diplo gushed saying “Amazing as usual.” And on a most serious note, she only competes with herself. The older she gets, the stronger her visuals, the bolder the vision, the heavier the impact whereas many old-school celebrities fade out in anonymity often with subpar content. And yes, we’re all getting older as Gen Z looks at Beyonce as a star of a past generation.
2. She Showed That Touring Can Be Extremely Lucrative If Done Smartly.
Let’s just say that Lady Gaga went bankrupt when she did her Monster Ball Tour. While Beyonce’s Formation World Tour total gross revenue reached $256,084,556. And best believe that even after paying taxes and everyone on board, she did not go 3 million dollars in debt as Lady Gaga did. She also had an entire 50 million dollar tour sponsored by Pepsi. Just imagine you not having to foot any bills or expenses for a worldwide tour while all you gotta do is show their cans of soda here and there and their logo. Again, phenomenal businesswoman.
1. She Showed That You Should Protect Your Brand’s Reputation At All Costs.
Remember that time when Beyonce got caught lip-syncing for Obama’s inauguration? Well… We’ll never know the truth but she was so bothered by the claims that she sang the anthem for the media outlets during her press conference to prove she can sing live. If you think about it, 80% of her brand relies on her ability to sing live and what she did was very extra but her whole reputation and credibility were at stake. Many fans have found themselves wondering how many other times she lip-synced and we didn’t catch onto it? or as per her technical description, sang along the pre-recorded track. Know what makes you unique and protect it with all you got.
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