Amazon Isn’t Stocking New Beyonce CD
Beyoncé’s surprise new album may have been the year’s second-highest seller on iTunes, but sales of the album’s physical copies are hitting some roadblocks. As Billboard reports, Amazon is joining Target in its decision not to stock CD copies of Beyoncé.
Unlike Target, Amazon is selling the MP3 of the album, however, and shoppers can purchase the CD version on the site through third-party retailers. But as Billboard notes, the online retail giant is not promoting the album with any prominent visuals on its site.
Check Out Our Definitive Guide to Beyonce’s New Album
Beyoncé hit store shelves on Friday, a week after its exclusive debut on iTunes. The 14-song, 17-video album sold more than 600,000 copies in its first three days, but Apple’s head start appears to be rubbing some other retailers the wrong way. Target announced earlier this week that it would not be stocking the album when physical formats became available.
“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 sales projections,” Target spokeswoman Erica Julkowski said. “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.”
Walmart is stocking the album, however, and Beyoncé rewarded the company by paying a visit to its Tewksbury, Massachusetts location on Friday to buy herself a copy, Us Weekly reports. While there, the pop star got on the store’s public address system to spread news of the new record, along with some extra Christmas cheer to the 750 other shoppers. “For everyone in the store right now, the first $50 of your holiday gifts are on me,” she announced. “Merry, merry Christmas from Beyoncé!”