Beyoncé's surprise album smashes iTunes records

Last week Friday Beyoncé released her fifth studio album, simply titled Beyoncé, on iTunes.

What was different about this album, however, was that it was released without any announcement, any promotion, without a lead single being released ahead of time- we don't think she told anybody except for the people she worked with on the album. This is a very unconventional marketing tactic, but after analysing the sales numbers in the aftermath of the album's release, it's fair to say that this move has been an unqualified success.
What seemed to be an adventurous approach has now turned out to be a stroke of genius from Queen Bey as the album has already broken records in 3 days. Beyoncé has sold well over 830 000 copies on iTunes alone since the album's 'quiet' release on Friday and looks set to be one of, if not, 2013's most successful albums.
The album has broken Billboard records, selling more copies in its first week (And the week isn't over yet!) than any other this year. In fact, Beyoncé sold a whopping 80 000 copies in its first two hours.
It's mentioned continuously, but to be able to achieve such incredible numbers without lifting a promotional finger is nothing short of magnificent. In a year where the music scene has changed dramatically; in a year where the extremely disappointing track Bow down b****es suggested that Beyoncé might be past it; this album has shut critics around the world up and made it abundantly clear who the real queen of female pop music is.
Take a bow Beyoncé. Take a bow.