lemonade parkwood

HAIL TO THE QUEEN: In the days prior to the Saturday, 4/23, release of Beyoncé’s sixth album, Lemonade, on Rob Stringer’sColumbia, only Team Bey had full knowledge of the details of the rollout—further evidencing the shift in the balance of power from the major labels to the superstars. Those details included a Tidal streaming exclusive in perpetuity, taking Spotify and Apple Music out of the picture, digital downloads on iTunes and Amazon, and the arrival of physical product on 5/6, just under two weeks after release date. The album is expected to debut with 400-500k, but it remains to be seen whether it contains a pop hit single along the lines of “Crazy in Love” or “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” that would likely catapult sales beyond 3m. Beyoncé hasn’t had a smash in some time. And because her brand hasn’t depended on pop hits, she may not feel the need to focus her energies on creating them—not when she’s raking in mountains of money from her sold-out stadium tour and branding ops; e.g., Ivy Park. Sony Music has reportedly offered Beyoncé a three-album deal with an advance believed to be just south of $10m per album. Will her new album be the final one in her old deal or the first LP in her new one?

http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=300787

Executives at Columbia Records -- Beyoncé's longtime home at Sony Music, with which she recently re-upped her ­commitment in an exclusive licensing ­partnership between the label and her ­company, Parkwood Entertainment.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7348533/beyonce-lemonade-tidal-streaming-music-industry-jay-z