A deep dive into how Beyoncé is wowing business executives—and 10 lessons every company can learn from her.

"KRA-KOOM!"

A thunderous bang quiets the roughly 40,000 fans who’ve gathered at Houston’s NRG Stadium. The lights click off, plunging the venue into darkness. A spotlight appears, silhouetting a figure on the stage. Beyoncé, sporting a wide-brimmed black hat and clad in a shimmering, rose-colored bodysuit, is flanked by a dozen dancers.

She starts bobbing her head along to the now-familiar twanging noise that opens her politically charged single "Formation." It takes a few moments to notice that the sparkly image displayed across her chest is a black panther, baring white teeth through its roaring red mouth. "If you came to slay tonight, say, ‘I slay!’ " she shouts. Her acolytes obey, screaming the words in unison as the music soars.

It’s around 9 p.m. on a Saturday night, and Beyoncé’s latest album, Lemonade, has been out for two weeks—almost to the hour. Unveiled during an April 23 HBO special that had been advertised as a "world premiere event" (with no further details), the 12-song collection was streamed 115 million times in the first six days alone. Each song has a unique music video, and together they make up a 65-minute film that weaves evocative imagery, wrenching poetry, and a rumored-to-be-autobiographical story line about infidelity. Lemonade debuted at No. 1 on theBillboard album chart, making Beyoncé the first artist in history to hit the top spot—and also the first to debut at No. 1—with her first six albums.

es, Beyoncé knows how to slay. And her impact is much greater than even these statistics imply. She has become one of the world’s most distinctive brands, a single-name powerhouse. She’s not only redefining how artists market themselves, building an uncommonly loyal customer base known as the Beyhive, but her successes are reverberating more broadly across the business landscape, too—prompting a reevaluation of rules, tactics, and strategies as enterprises large and small consider the pros and cons of cultivating their own Lemonade moment.

Beyoncé’s career has both closely tracked the rise of the digital age (her first solo album, 2003’s Dangerously in Love, came out five weeks before the launch of MySpace) and encouraged its evolution. No pop star has better navigated the tectonic shifts in the music industry, from iTunes to YouTube, Facebook to Spotify. What’s more, she has traversed the ever-more-complex tendrils of global culture with cleverness, discipline, and sophistication. "As a product, she is incredibly consistent—every album, stage performance, video, interview, and marketing deal," says Jonathan Mildenhall, chief marketing officer at Airbnb. "On top of that, she has something that not a lot of contemporary artists have, and that’s an understanding of how to evolve the brand. The brand of Beyoncé shapes and leads pop culture."

Beyoncé is unique. (It helps to be one of the world’s great singers and performers.) But that doesn’t mean we all can’t learn from her moves. Not unlike Steve Jobs during his triumphant stewardship of Apple, Beyoncé offers a window into a new, more modern way of approaching the marketplace.

FIND YOUR LEVERAGE

The core of Beyoncé’s business is Parkwood Entertainment, a relatively small operation perched on an upper floor of an unremarkable office tower in an unglamorous neighborhood just south of Times Square. Parkwood’s employees quietly guide an enterprise that has an enormous impact: from music to film to ancillary businesses such as the exercise-clothing line Ivy Park that she recently debuted in collaboration with British retailer Topshop. Beyoncé is the CEO and has been known to sit in on meetings and walk from office to office to query her deputies on details of upcoming projects. "There’s nothing that happens in that organization, either businesswise or artistically, that Beyoncé doesn’t fully sit on top of," says former HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo, who helped negotiate the Lemonade TV special. (Beyoncé and her team declined to speak on the record.)

Though Beyoncé’s label, Columbia Records (a subsidiary of Sony Music), is a partner in Parkwood, the company still approaches business like a startup, leveraging its scale in all kinds of ways.

Beyoncé has long experimented with ways to amplify video’s impact. With her second solo effort, 2006’s B’Day, she released an alternate "visual album" version that included a separate video for each track—something she would repeat with her self-titled 2013 album. In hindsight, it’s clear that Beyoncé was testing video’s potential, getting comfortable with the format in a post-MTV digital world as a way to expand her artistic vision and marketing muscle. Her 2008 song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," with its Bob Fosse–inspired black-and-white video, is among the earliest—and biggest—examples of music-video-as-Internet meme, transforming the song from a hit into a phenomenon.

OPPORTUNITY COMES FROM WITHIN

Beyoncé’s career has had several inflection points where she’s boosted herself to a new level of popularity and cultural clout. Surprisingly, those moments haven’t always come when she’s reached out to the mainstream. Instead, she’s often defined herself by making unconventional choices.

Her first solo album, after Destiny’s Child had evolved into a pop-chart juggernaut, was a return to hip-hop and R&B, which both distinguished her from her group’s recent work and helped define the kind of solo artist she wanted to be.Lemonade, similarly, is not just a personal album in terms of subject matter; it also explores sounds and themes that are less targeted at broad audiences. She’s emphasized a distinctive artistic vision—not what focus groups and big data might predict—and it’s worked: People are talking about Lemonade not because Beyoncé is reaching out, but because she’s looking within.

http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/1050012-Fast-Company-10-lessons-EVERY-BUSINESS-can-learn-from-Beyonce?highlight=destiny%27s+child

namepeace said:

paisleypark4 said:

Yup she works hard for the money that's for sure. When yall favorite going to make a video for every song with their own money?

It truly is a matter of acknowledging reality.

It's not a matter of whether any given music fan respects her or thinks of her as creative. When it comes to popular music, titles like "most respected" and "most creative" come down to popular opinions. And right now, Bey has the votes from her public and her peers.

RS chose its words carefully.

And to add onto that, recognizing her as such does not necessarily entail liking her music, or
that she's supremely talented or most talented. Yet, there are members of this board who in-
sist that what RS says about Beyonce entails those things. I think this board gets wrapped up
in assessing her "mediocre talent", which, as I explained before, is not the most objectively
measurable thing in the world, and totally ignore her stature within our pop-culture, which, in
my opinion, is the thing that's most laudable about Beyonce.

Her presence in this board is similar to what researchers discovered about Howard Stern during
his more raunchy years: people who loved his schtick averaged 2hrs of listening time devoted
to his 4hr show. People who despised him listened to Stern's raunchiness for the entire 4hrs.
Why? Because they wanted to hear what he would say next. In other words: the people who
dislike Beyonce the most in the Org are those who are always posting in Beyonce threads and
make the most posts in those threads! It seems that Bey's detractors in this board love to
hate on her, which, in of itself, reveals more than the antipathy held against her! I am sure that
not too many have perceived the irony of this.

[Edited 7/1/16 3:17am]

mjscarousal said:

namepeace said:

It truly is a matter of acknowledging reality.

It's not a matter of whether any given music fan respects her or thinks of her as creative. When it comes to popular music, titles like "most respected" and "most creative" come down to popular opinions. And right now, Bey has the votes from her public and her peers.

RS chose its words carefully.

Your right it is about acknowledging reality but a lot of Beyonces PR does not accurately reflect how the general public views her. Based off of record sells at the current moment Drakes album is the highest selling album this year, out selling Beyonces Lemonade and he has the highest number one in recent years with One Dance and same with Rihanna with Work.

But again, when you look at the terms "respected" and "creative" sales don't necessarily fit into that. She's been one of the best-selling solo acts of the 21st century and has figured out a way to make her albums pop culture events, like MJ, Madge and to a lesser extent Prince did in their heydays. She's not at the top, but she's near it and has been for a while. It's possible she's respected so well because she's been creative enough to make people interested in her albums in an era when albums don't sell.

The probelm with Beyonce is that, the way she is marketed has never reflected how the public actually see's her. Also, she controls the way she is marketed through the media so I don't think it is fair to assume that people think "she is the most creative artist" just because RS says so. Her PR teams puts out a lot of these articles themselves. She owns a stake in RS, Forbes and a lot of publications that write about her, doesnt mean the general public agrees.

But again . . . presuming that's true, she's respected because she has the kind of economic leverage to create buzz and an appearance of pop culture dominance. She's legions of dedicated fans with no vested interest in her other than her. She's a top seller. She has found ways to maximize her talents and earning potential.

duccichucka said:

And to add onto that, recognizing her as such does not necessarily entail liking her music, or that she's supremely talented or most talented. Yet, there are members of this board who insist that what RS says about Beyonce entails those things. I think this board gets wrapped up in assessing her "mediocre talent", which, as I explained before, is not the most objectively measurable thing in the world, and totally ignore her stature within our pop-culture, which, in my opinion, is the thing that's most laudable about Beyonce.

She's reaped huge dividends on the talents she has. And she'll continue to for the foreseeable future. That's why she's respected, because it takes creativity to do that. Not musical creativity per se.

Her presence in this board is similar to what researchers discovered about Howard Stern during his more raunchy years: people who loved his schtick averaged 2hrs of listening time devoted to his 4hr show. People who despised him listened to Stern's raunchiness for the entire 4hrs. Why? Because they wanted to hear what he would say next. In other words: the people who
dislike Beyonce the most in the Org are those who are always posting in Beyonce threads and make the most posts in those threads! It seems that Bey's detractors in this board love to hate on her, which, in of itself, reveals more than the antipathy held against her! I am sure that not too many have perceived the irony of this.

I hear you on that. There's no such publicity as bad publicity, particularly when it comes female pop singers, who enjoy far shorter shelf lives than their male counterparts. And she continues to get just as much mileage from her critics as her Hivers.

[Edited 7/1/16 3:17am]

namepeace said:

duccichucka said:

And to add onto that, recognizing her as such does not necessarily entail liking her music, or that she's supremely talented or most talented. Yet, there are members of this board who insist that what RS says about Beyonce entails those things. I think this board gets wrapped up in assessing her "mediocre talent", which, as I explained before, is not the most objectively measurable thing in the world, and totally ignore her stature within our pop-culture, which, in my opinion, is the thing that's most laudable about Beyonce.

She's reaped huge dividends on the talents she has. And she'll continue to for the foreseeable future. That's why she's respected, because it takes creativity to do that. Not musical creativity per se.

Her presence in this board is similar to what researchers discovered about Howard Stern during his more raunchy years: people who loved his schtick averaged 2hrs of listening time devoted to his 4hr show. People who despised him listened to Stern's raunchiness for the entire 4hrs. Why? Because they wanted to hear what he would say next. In other words: the people who
dislike Beyonce the most in the Org are those who are always posting in Beyonce threads and make the most posts in those threads! It seems that Bey's detractors in this board love to hate on her, which, in of itself, reveals more than the antipathy held against her! I am sure that not too many have perceived the irony of this.

I hear you on that. There's no such publicity as bad publicity, particularly when it comes female pop singers, who enjoy far shorter shelf lives than their male counterparts. And she continues to get just as much mileage from her critics as her Hivers.

[Edited 7/1/16 3:17am]

Again, whatever is "musical creativity" is always open for discussion. There's no way to quantify
it like we can with album sales, etc. That being said, album sales does not necessarily speak to
the quality of an artist's creativity, which, as concept, will continue to be largely inerrable. But I've
yet to see the same amount of Org heat assigned to other female artists who are similarly talented
as Beyonce is cf., Madge. I just think there's something about Beyonce specifically that riles a lot of
the females up in this board - I have an idea what it is:

They are not Beyonce. It's easier to hate Beyonce because she's Black. Madonna, who is damn near
offered to pop consumers from the same mold, doesn't get the amount of hate that a pretty light-
skinned famous and powerful Black girl gets. I can go Marianas Trench deep on this but I will pull
it back some.

namepeace said:

She has found ways to maximize her talents and earning potential.

If my daughter said to me:

"Lord Ducci; it is my wish to be a pop star. No, I don't want to be the most talented musician/song-
writer who ever lived. I have some modicum of talent and good looks (because you, dear father,
are hawt and so damn handsome) and want to sell out arenas and make albums that are pop cultur-
al events. And I don't want to be a whore, but sexy. I don't want to cause too much mischief but
enough to make a statement. As a Black female, what should I do?" I'd say:

"Do this."

well, ok.

.

for 2016.. & the OVERALL LACK of genuinely talented/creative/influencial performers..

if somebody (other than I) wants to put this crown on her head..

go ahead.

.

(to me) shows how far down overall musical quality & talent & ability have descended.

namepeace said:

mjscarousal said:

But again, when you look at the terms "respected" and "creative" sales don't necessarily fit into that. She's been one of the best-selling solo acts of the 21st century and has figured out a way to make her albums pop culture events, like MJ, Madge and to a lesser extent Prince did in their heydays. She's not at the top, but she's near it and has been for a while. It's possible she's respected so well because she's been creative enough to make people interested in her albums in an era when albums don't sell.


But again . . . presuming that's true, she's respected because she has the kind of economic leverage to create buzz and an appearance of pop culture dominance. She's legions of dedicated fans with no vested interest in her other than her. She's a top seller. She has found ways to maximize her talents and earning potential.

If this is your personal opinion, I will respect it but I respectfully disagree and I think your opinions are a bit naive. First off, Beyonce is no where near the best selling artist of her generation (thats an outright false statement that you made). She was not even the best selling artist last decade, Usher was. Artists like Usher, Pink, Alicia Keys, Taylor, Adele have sold more albums than her world wide so how is she amongst the best selling? She doesn't have as many number one's as lets Rihanna and countless others so your assumption that she is "at the top" is not true. As I mentioned in my last post, Beyonce is backed by a machine and the industry which gives her leverage over her peers who do not have that. I disagree with you insisting that her albums are "cultural events" the same as Michael and Madonna.... that is a MAJOR exaggeration In fact IMO they are the exact opposite. Her music and albums are like fast food, they are hype for one minute but they quickly fade away. Its been almost 2 months since that Lemonade album came out and nobody is talking about that album. That album hasn't even generated any number one hits like Drakes and Rihannas, so how has this album made a significant impact on our culture? I never said that she was without talent but her marketing has nothing to do with her talent or her music and is often relied upon gimmicks and PR tricks to keep her in the media. Again, I don't see how that makes her the most "creative pop artist" just because she knows how to stay in the headlines which has nothing to do ith her actual music or talent. Beyonce is all smoke and mirrors. If she has legions of dedicated fans, why do Adele and Taylor Swift sell over 20 million copies an album and Beyonce only sells 5 million? I am not saying she is not successful but you are exaggerating her success and impact. Your buying into her PR which is mostly false.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:36pm]

mltijchr said:

well, ok.

.

for 2016.. & the OVERALL LACK of genuinely talented/creative/influencial performers..

if somebody (other than I) wants to put this crown on her head..

go ahead.

.

(to me) shows how far down overall musical quality & talent & ability have descended.

Agree

If Beyonce is the so called "best" that we have out now then music has truly gone down

Some of these comments are ridiculous. There are way better artists and singers than her.

Its interesting that some are insisting that critics respect Beyonce for how she uses the media to her leverage but what does using the media have to do with being an artist? I am trying to understand how that relates to this article where RS calls her the most "creative pop artist"

Thats a contradiction.

I am sick and tired of her. She is so overrated.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:42pm]

mjscarousal said:

mltijchr said:

well, ok.

.

for 2016.. & the OVERALL LACK of genuinely talented/creative/influencial performers..

if somebody (other than I) wants to put this crown on her head..

go ahead.

.

(to me) shows how far down overall musical quality & talent & ability have descended.

If Beyonce is the so called "best" that we have out now then music has truly gone down

Some of these comments are ridiculous. There are way better artists and singers than her.

I am sick and tired of her. She is so overrated.

Is she the greatest singer or performer? err no, but some of songs are catchy I love the fact she is doing Prince, Vanity 6 and Rick James tributes and playing MJ songs on her current tour She has good taste in music, really good taste

^

She is successful but people overexaggerate her success and impact. Like for instance, she has never sold out a stadium. I was surprised to see photos on social media of empty sections and seats on her Formation tour. She is not selling out these shows contrary to what her PR is marketing. She is also not utilizing the entire stadium but just a quarter but her PR paints a different picture and people buy into her lies.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:54pm]

mjscarousal said:

^

She is successful but people overexaggerate her success and impact. Like for instance, she has never sold out a stadium. I was surprised to see photos on social media of empty sections and seats on her Formation tour. She is not selling out these shows contrary to what her PR is marketing. She is also not utilizing the entire stadium but just a quarter but her PR paints a different picture and people buy into her lies.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:54pm]

Also there was more excitement back in the 80s mid 90s whenever Madonna, Whitney and Janet released albums and went on tour.

[Edited 7/1/16 20:27pm]

Goddess4Real said:

mjscarousal said:

^

She is successful but people overexaggerate her success and impact. Like for instance, she has never sold out a stadium. I was surprised to see photos on social media of empty sections and seats on her Formation tour. She is not selling out these shows contrary to what her PR is marketing. She is also not utilizing the entire stadium but just a quarter but her PR paints a different picture and people buy into her lies.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:54pm]

Also there was more excitement back in the 80s mid 90s whenever Madonna, Whitney and Janet released albums and went on tour.

[Edited 7/1/16 20:27pm]

100% agree with this. I don't see this same fascination with her like people had for Madonna, Janet, and so forth. It appears the media and industry are more in love with her than the actual general public. Nobody is not even talking about this album. Its not even the biggest selling album this year. Madonna also saw more audiences at her tour and drew in bigger numbers.

mjscarousal said:

Goddess4Real said:

Also there was more excitement back in the 80s mid 90s whenever Madonna, Whitney and Janet released albums and went on tour.

[Edited 7/1/16 20:27pm]

100% agree with this. I don't see this same fascination with her like people had for Madonna, Janet, and so forth. It appears the media and industry are more in love with her than the actual general public. Nobody is not even talking about this album. Its not even the biggest selling album this year. Madonna also saw more audiences at her tour and drew in bigger numbers.

Also Beyonce really is no threat and hasn't crossed that line yet. Sure some of the songs from Lemonade and Superbowl Performance caused some controversy (by the way I love her MJ inspired jacket ) but compared to what was done to janet back in 2004, Beyonce can do no wrong. Then again its a different time with social media eg. Twitter maybe if it was around 2004 janet wouldn't have copped such a major backlash.

Goddess4Real said:

mjscarousal said:

100% agree with this. I don't see this same fascination with her like people had for Madonna, Janet, and so forth. It appears the media and industry are more in love with her than the actual general public. Nobody is not even talking about this album. Its not even the biggest selling album this year. Madonna also saw more audiences at her tour and drew in bigger numbers.

Also Beyonce really is no threat and hasn't crossed that line yet. Sure some of the songs from Lemonade and Superbowl Performance caused some controversy (by the way I love her MJ inspired jacket ) but compared to what was done to janet back in 2004, Beyonce can do no wrong. Then again its a different time with social media eg. Twitter maybe if it was around 2004 janet wouldn't have copped such a major backlash.

THIS

She is not a threat at all. She is "safe" She is the token Black girl and she does what the industry and what the "powers that be" aka white men tell her to do.

She will never receive the backlash Michael, Janet, Madonna, and so forth receive because she doesn't make the same impact. She is "light weight" in comparision. One thing that they didn't have that she benefits from is the payola and industry backing. If Beyonce was not marketed so excessively by the media and industry she would be no where as popular. Michael didn't have any of that and still sold out 50 arena dates in 2 hours thats because people geniunely loved him. He didn't need a hype machine to make people "believe that"

Social media has a good 90% to do with her relevancy. With Janet its hard to say, that was an inside operation that went far beyond the Super Bowl. She was Blacklisted and there has been a smear campaign ever since to erase her legacy. With the Jacksons for some reason, they are an exception because there has always been shady dealings to sabatage them because they are the most successful black family and they were a threat because of what they stood for. Beyonce doesn't stand up for anything. She follows trends and does what the industry tells her to do.

[Edited 7/1/16 21:13pm]

mjscarousal said:

Goddess4Real said:

Also Beyonce really is no threat and hasn't crossed that line yet. Sure some of the songs from Lemonade and Superbowl Performance caused some controversy (by the way I love her MJ inspired jacket ) but compared to what was done to janet back in 2004, Beyonce can do no wrong. Then again its a different time with social media eg. Twitter maybe if it was around 2004 janet wouldn't have copped such a major backlash.

THIS

She is not a threat at all. She is "safe" She is the token Black girl and she does what the industry and what the "powers that be" aka white men tell her to do.

She will never receive the backlash Michael, Janet, Madonna, and so forth receive because she doesn't make the same impact. She is "light weight" in comparision. One thing that they didn't have that she benefits from is the payola and industry backing. If Beyonce was not marketed so excessively by the media and industry she would be no where as popular. Michael didn't have any of that and still sold out 50 arena dates in 2 hours thats because people geniunely loved him. He didn't need a hype machine to make people "believe that"

Social media has a good 90% to do with her relevancy. With Janet its hard to say, that was an inside operation that went far beyond the Super Bowl. She was Blacklisted and there has been a smear campaign ever since to erase her legacy. With the Jacksons for some reason, they are an exception because there has always been shady dealings to sabatage them because they are the most successful black family and they were a threat because of what they stood for. Beyonce doesn't stand up for anything. She follows trends and does what the industry tells her to do.

[Edited 7/1/16 21:13pm]

That is why articles like this are important http://prince.org/msg/8/428531

mltijchr said:

well, ok.

.

for 2016.. & the OVERALL LACK of genuinely talented/creative/influencial performers..

if somebody (other than I) wants to put this crown on her head..

go ahead.

.

(to me) shows how far down overall musical quality & talent & ability have descended.

I don't know about there being an "OVERALL LACK of genuinely talented . . . performers" but I
agree that we should put the crown on her head. She's the most successful tour this year and in
past years; so people talking about her sales versus Usher's sales are making strawman arguments,
as they are wont to do.

If you are a pop entertainer, you don't have to be the best singer/dancer/musician/songwriter. You
must be able to pull all of those things together and be a performer. Beyonce is a great performer,
dare I say the best performer - period.

But again: judging Beyonce's talent and the overall talent of the musici industry is what they say
is an "exercise in futility." We can't do that because talent is subjective and no one sits down and
assesses every single pop recording artist.

Goddess4Real said:

Also Beyonce really is no threat and hasn't crossed that line yet. Sure some of the songs from Lemonade and Superbowl Performance caused some controversy (by the way I love her MJ inspired jacket ) but compared to what was done to janet back in 2004, Beyonce can do no wrong. Then again its a different time with social media eg. Twitter maybe if it was around 2004 janet wouldn't have copped such a major backlash.

Why does an artist have to be a "threat" or "cross{ed} that line" in order to be the most respected
and creative artist in the pop game? What do you mean by "the line"? The heat that Janet Jackson
caught in 2004 was not because of anything she said musically - it was because her titty popped out.
Beyonce caught heat after the Super Bowl due to a political statement she made that white America
did not like, so, as another Orger has posted, she doesn't appear to be in the pocket of some large
white corporate machine. So, again, the controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl per-
formance was not due to her music, the lyrics of her music. It was due to her nipples being accident-
ally exposed! It is not fair to compare the two controversies here.

Someone posted:

She is not a threat at all. She is "safe" She is the token Black girl and she does what the industry and what the "powers that be" aka white men tell her to do.

She will never receive the backlash Michael, Janet, Madonna, and so forth receive because she doesn't make the same impact. She is "light weight" in comparision. One thing that they didn't have that she benefits from is the payola and industry backing. If Beyonce was not marketed so excessively by the media and industry she would be no where as popular. Michael didn't have any of that and still sold out 50 arena dates in 2 hours thats because people geniunely loved him. He didn't need a hype machine to make people "believe that"Social media has a good 90% to do with her relevancy. With Janet its hard to say, that was an inside operation that went far beyond the Super Bowl. She was Blacklisted and there has been a smear campaign ever since to erase her legacy. With the Jacksons for some reason, they are an exception because there has always been shady dealings to sabatage them because they are the most successful black family and they were a threat because of what they stood for. Beyonce doesn't stand up for anything. She follows trends and does what the industry tells her to do.

I don't know what is meant by "threat" and I don't understand why being a "threat" means any-
thing in pop culture. Who said that being a "threat" was integral in being a creative and respected
pop musician/recording artist?

I think the primary backlash Michael Jackson, who used to purposefully leak rumors about himself
to the press, received were the charges of being a pedophiliac. I don't think he was, but his squeaky
clean image took big hits as his career descended.

I think it is strange to imagine that MJ and others didn't have the practice of payola. In fact, it is
widely published that the president of Epic Records threatened to pull other Epic Records artists off
of MTV airwaves if they didn't play "Thriller," or "Beat It" for MTV would not play music videos from
Black American recording artists. So, it is kinda absurd to think MJ didn't have someone in corporate
America who was in a position of power helping MJ's career along.

MJ was a behemoth when it came to selling out tours; we'll never see that again in our life time. Yet,
Beyonce is no slouch either: she sold 1 million tickets for her new tour over the weekend after her
Super Bowl performance! Source

Finally, claiming that Beyonce doesn't "stand up for anything" is kinda weird too. The Atlantic has
an article entitled Lemons into Lemonade that specifically addresses the backlash she received after
her Super Bowl performance highlighted by hints of Black American nationalism.

It's like people in this thread are looking for reasons to hate her with statements that are not factual
in the least! but, I know why this happens.

^ But nobody said she was a slouch........ just that her accomplishments and talents are exaggerated which they are. I insisted that she was successful but her success is manufactured to a great degree. Any PR source related to Beyonce can not be trusted 100% because Beyonce controls it herself and it is often fabricated. There have been photos posted on social media that show that her shows have multiple empty sections and seats.

Also, Taylor Swift, Adele, Bruno, etc also play at stadiums, Beyonce is certainly not the only pop star now doing it. She is also not selling out the entire stadium but just a quarter. If you read Me and Goddess said that she was successful just overrated and over hyped which are legitimate perspectives. Just because you disagree doesn't make anyone a hater. There are no right or wrong opinions here. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

Beyonce is successful....but she not on Michael Jacksons, Madonna, Prince, Beatles, level like they are trying to hype her and this is based off of sells, numbers and receipts. She is not that popular and she is not a threat.

That picture above means nothing: it doesn't prove anything other than at the time it was taken,
the seats in that stadium were only half full! We don't know when that picture was taken; we don't
know if the picture was taken before or after the show; we don't even know if the picture absolute-
ly pertains to Beyonce! If Beyonce's PR cannot be trusted, then why should Lexi Belcufine be trusted?
You can't have it both ways! Also, there is no reason to believe that Beyonce's PR agents are liars.

I don't think I ever said that anyone said that Beyonce was a slouch when it came to selling out
tours; I think my point was that she's simply no slouch to selling out tours quickly just like her
peers. If Beyonce was not popular, then I don't think the NFL would ask her to perform at the
half time show, which she's done twice, if I'm not mistaken. And if Billboard magazine is reporting
that she sold close to 1 million tickets over the weekend after the Super Bowl, she's gotta be kinda
popular at the least.

Opinions are like this: "I don't like her. Her music sucks. She's mediocre. She's a horrible dancer and
can't act. She's no threat. She's a lightweight." But when you say: "She doesn't sell out tours", that
can be objectively determined and as the reputable sources I've provided, like Billboard magazine, we
can see whether or not she is actually not selling out tours, or actually selling out tours (which she is).
So, I'm not criticizing anyone for disliking her. I think I'm mostly criticizing the people who criticize
her unfairly. She's not Prince, MJ, or the Beatles, or The Stones. But there thousands of pop stars
who aren't either, so cut this bitch some slack.

I don't think she's hot shit either - I just respect her hustle. She's always been kinda "meh" to me. I
just think that the hate she receives on this board is exaggerated sometimes. I don't understand how
Madonna is praised to the high heavens and when someone like Beyonce comes around who is just
as bad/good, imo, she gets slammed. I am turning around on her after I watched that Formation
World Tour clip at her website - that shit was amazing! I wouldn't buy a ticket to see her but if one
was offered to me, I would certainly go! And I was singing that "Formation" song all last night; drove
my wife fucking nutzo. This chick, even if the whole project is a farce, is one helluva performer, IMO!

^

The show did start you can see that on the screen in the photo

There are multiple pictures posted like this on social media

Here is another photo from same person.

I have said repeatly that she was successful not sure why you keep saying I said she wasn't. She is overrated though and her PR fabricates a lot of things about her that is not true. She is not selling out these stadiums.

People here dont hate her, people are tired of her and feel there are more deserving artists that deserve more credit.

[Edited 7/2/16 9:15am]

kitbradley said:

Shawy89 said:

Lol. Butthurt fans everywhere, I feel sorry for the haters cause every Beyoncé hater is a closet Beyoncé fan. We all know everyone at least listened to Lemonade and thought oh it's actually a good album. Just calm up guys and enjoy the music this bitch makes.

I have never heard a single song off of this lemonade record and, God willing, i never will. They will be making snow cones in hell the day i listen to a beyonce album.

I just controlled'F the word "successful" and I never said anything about anybody doubting
Beyonce's success. Those pictures, if they are actually pictures of a Beyonce concert and not
the concert I gave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin two nights ago (I was amazing), only reflect that
that stadium was half-packed. Maybe Beyonce is not popular in Pittsburgh? Who knows?! All
I'm saying is that she sold 1 million concert tickets. Somebody likes her! She's performed in
two Super Bowl half time shows. Somebody likes her! Also, it may be the case that Beyonce is
not able to sell out stadiums - but who is?

I respect anybody's desire to dislike Beyonce. I just don't understand why she's so hated in this
board. I mean, even if she is the end product of hype and the assistance of corporate America
and a mediocre talent, why begrudge her her success? All of pop music and its presentation to
its consumers is a dog and pony show, imo. And I think all of it is just an example of Panem et
Circensus. Beyond that, let this chick make her scrilla.

[Edited 7/2/16 11:10am]

She is this year.

So whats wrong with the Lemonade album tho? Im not really hearing the dislike for actual songs etc...all I see is people on here being pressed like a steam iron

mjscarousal said:

namepeace said:

If this is your personal opinion, I will respect it but I respectfully disagree and I think your opinions are a bit naive. First off, Beyonce is no where near the best selling artist of her generation (thats an outright false statement that you made). She was not even the best selling artist last decade, Usher was. Artists like Usher, Pink, Alicia Keys, Taylor, Adele have sold more albums than her world wide so how is she amongst the best selling? She doesn't have as many number one's as lets Rihanna and countless others so your assumption that she is "at the top" is not true.

See, you're getting all emotional about it. I don't own more than a few Bey songs so I can talk objectively about it. You only named only a handful of artists that have -- if your figures are true -- outsold Beyonce in worldwide record sales. So, relative to all the other artists selling albums these days, she one of the best selling artists of her generation. I didn't use the words "at the top" in terms of her record sales, if I even used that term at all.

You're reading more into it because you're emotionally vested in the argument. I'm not.

As I mentioned in my last post, Beyonce is backed by a machine and the industry which gives her leverage over her peers who do not have that. I disagree with you insisting that her albums are "cultural events" the same as Michael and Madonna.... that is a MAJOR exaggeration

There you go again. All I said was her albums have become pop culture events. You're getting way too defensive when you imply what I said, instead of reading what I actually said. If you want to deny her albums have become pop culture events, that's on you. Not every event has to be Thriller to be an event. Don't get so defensive, though I know you're a devoted MJ fan.

More later.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:36pm]

mjscarousal said:

In fact IMO they are the exact opposite. Her music and albums are like fast food, they are hype for one minute but they quickly fade away. Its been almost 2 months since that Lemonade album came out and nobody is talking about that album. That album hasn't even generated any number one hits like Drakes and Rihannas, so how has this album made a significant impact on our culture?

Because people are still talking about it. She's making her living off the buzz. She's using the NBA superstar format -- her primary product only generates exposure for her larger brand. In fact, there has been coverage that addresses your question.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2016/06/27/beyonce-song-of-the-summer/86187490/

I never said that she was without talent but her marketing has nothing to do with her talent or her music and is often relied upon gimmicks and PR tricks to keep her in the media.

Who's being naive now? You're telling me Madge, MJ, Prince, and scores of other pop stars didn't use their own PR armies and angles, if not outright gimmicks, to remain relevant to audiences? To be sure, great artists' work sells itself, but make no mistake, iconic moments like the Thriller video and Purple Rain were just as calibrated to attract pop audiences to the respective artists' brand. And Madge? Come on now . . . she was a master media manipulator.

Again, I don't see how that makes her the most "creative pop artist" just because she knows how to stay in the headlines which has nothing to do ith her actual music or talent. Beyonce is all smoke and mirrors. If she has legions of dedicated fans, why do Adele and Taylor Swift sell over 20 million copies an album and Beyonce only sells 5 million? I am not saying she is not successful but you are exaggerating her success and impact. Your buying into her PR which is mostly false.

Adele referred to Bey the other night as "Jesus f----g Christ." Nobody said the woman was Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin or Tina Turner. She just realizes that the musical creativity you're referring to is not the type of creativity that creates a media brand. And she's done that. That's why people respect her.

When you step back and look at it objectively, without feeling threatened, you'll see the reasons RS made those statements is that her music is only part of what makes her successful in the Pop Game.

[Edited 7/1/16 19:36pm]