Target Says It Won't Sell Beyonce's Self-Titled Album

by Andres Tardio

                        

Walmart says it will carry "Beyonce."

Beyonce's self-titled visual album has shattered an iTunes record for first week sales and it is set to be the singer's most successful album to date. Still, Target says it will not carry the project.

"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 spokesperson Erica Julkowski says in an interview with Billboard. "While there are many aspects that contribute to our approach and we have appreciated partnering with Beyonce 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. At this time, Target will not be carrying Beyonce's new self-titled album Beyonce."

Beyonce was released as an iTunes exclusive Friday (December 13) with no pre-release promotion for the project. Since then, the album has only been available in its entirety and it has only been available on iTunes. Songs are set to be available for individual purchase December 20, with physical copies available in stores likely on the same date, according to billlboard.com.

Target and Beyonce partnered on exclusive editions of her past albums. For instance, in 2011, Beyonce's 4 had an exclusive version for Target with six bonus cuts. 

While Target is not scheduled to carry the project, Walmart is slated to carry a non-explicit version of Beyonce.

"[Walmart is] happy to be able to carry her album and support all physical music," Walmart spokesperson Sarah McKinney says to billboard.com. 

In less than a week, Beyonce's self-titled effort has sold more than 800,000 units.