fan base Beyoncé

[swissman]

1 hour ago, Shelter said:

Yes I believe she would. The video was on tidal, she basically wanted everyone to go there and sign up for her stuff. If TIDAL didn’t exist, then she would have no reason to do that to her singles. If it was about the message, she could have sold it and made profit to donate. 
 

 

I'm still not convinced of that. I agree her exclusivity to TIDAL was clearly meant to help the platform gain subscribers (which it did). I just don't think that was the motive, but rather a convenient bonus to what she had already been doing: making her music more exclusive or delivered in ways that prioritizes message over chart placements.

 

Not sending Formation to radio, releasing it to YouTube as a private link making all its views ineligible for Billboard charts further demonstrates this, I think. If she really wanted TIDAL subscribers above all else, why put it on YouTube at all, free for anyone who had the link to watch it as many times as they'd like?

Not to mention, by giving the song away for free on TIDAL's homepage (you literally didn't even have to subscribe to download it), it seems her motive was more about sharing the message without direct commercial gain than luring subscribers.

 

[SashaDevachelli]

She is vile for never releasing that 6 inch performance, and posting a trailer for it on youtube to promote tidal is disturbing

[Mr. Specialist]

Did any insider spill any tea lately? Can we expect anything this month?

 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Mr. Specialist

[*-ChriZ-*]

Just now, Mr. Specialist said:

Did anybody spill any tea lately? Can we expect anything this month?

Aprils fools is in 4 months boo

[Bey Admired]

I’ve never been able to scrub Bey saying she wants to be like Sade and Prince from my memory. 

 

The fact that she didn’t stop to think “did Sade or Prince have a clothing line?”, “did Sade or Prince have multimillion dollar endorsement deals with problematic brands?”, or “did Sade and Prince expect to be able to do worldwide stadium tours?”. 

 

No, no, and no. 

 

That’s the single most annoying thing she’s ever said to me. 

[MrPiggyMoka]

16 minutes ago, Space&Time said:

It’s really sad. Maybe we Bey will shed some light on things when the ball finally starts rolling.

I truly hope so.

[Angel94]

8 minutes ago, Mr. Specialist said:

Did any insider spill any tea lately? Can we expect anything this month?

 

 

The last time @Mercurio was here he said Live Nation was on holidays and the work would be back in January and then we would have a date.

[swissman]

I think we have to realize that what she experienced in 2011 might have affected how she saw her career and her place within the industry more than we give it credit, changing her relationship to how she approaches the industry as a whole, including a desire for hits, promotion and making herself available to the public.

 

At the end of the day, she's a Virgo. And she's human.

 

Let's keep in mind 4 being her first era without Matthew so its success or failure was squarely on her. The strategies she took, however, might've well have been his. It was his playbook. She did SO MUCH to promote the album, she checked basically every box and more (she even released promo singles). And the result, at least at the time, was underwhelming. Not only that, but through her first pregnancy she opened herself up a bit more in ways she previously had not. Compare her denial of dating Jay-Z basically until they were married to the way she debuted her pregnancy on stage. This was followed up with INTENSE scrutiny and even accusations that she was faking it.

 

Do we think she liked all this? And said, you know what, I don't think this is right but I am still going to continue doing more of the same, playing the same game, doing the same things of which so many people will simply never think I've done it right anyway. No, of course it makes sense that she's make such a drastic switch.

 

SO SINCE THEN

We have a Beyoncé who keeps the public at an arm's length, or more.

We have a Beyoncé who barely plays the game, if at all.
We have a Beyoncé who, when she does something, does it because that's the thing she wants to do, not because it'll necessarily be successful

We have a Beyoncé who takes decisions based on what's best for her art, not the charts.

We have a Beyoncé who was able to shift her career from that of a pop icon trying to keep up, to a legend-before-our-eyes wowing audiences and critics with back-to-back-to-back-to-back amazing works, free from the jostling with other pop-stars for the public's approval.

 

She's created her very own lane and I personally think that instead of bemoaning what that means for her stats, we should be celebrating it. Or if you want to talk stats, celebrate the fact that she's still THAT successful THAT long into her career and by doing the least (outside of her artistry).

 

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by swissman

[Shelter]

18 minutes ago, swissman said:

I'm still not convinced of that. I agree her exclusivity to TIDAL was clearly meant to help the platform gain subscribers (which it did). I just don't think that was the motive, but rather a convenient bonus to what she had already been doing: making her music more exclusive or delivered in ways that prioritizes message over chart placements.

 

Not sending Formation to radio, releasing it to YouTube as a private link making all its views ineligible for Billboard charts further demonstrates this, I think. If she really wanted TIDAL subscribers above all else, why put it on YouTube at all, free for anyone who had the link to watch it as many times as they'd like?

Not to mention, by giving the song away for free on TIDAL's homepage (you literally didn't even have to subscribe to download it), it seems her motive was more about sharing the message without direct commercial gain than luring subscribers.

 

I think it was YouTube because she was about to perform it on the SB. Probably for the media to share, but also in the caption it says "Download "Formation" exclusively on TIDAL.com " it was just another way to get people to TIDAL. 

[PrettyHurts]

1 hour ago, Shelter said:

That’s the funny part, he didn’t do the same with his album.  

Wbk she’s more loyal than him :( 

[swissman]

I think Beyoncé plays it very cool and she knows how to compartmentalize and never let us see her sweat...even throughout the whole cheating scandal, even within the elevator itself she was so cool and collected. And we forget that she's allowed to feel vulnerable then act according to how she best sees fit to protect herself, her brand, her career, her legacy she's worked so hard at since she was a kid.

 

The Hive seems to often think she just doesn't care about her career. I think she does, she's just realized at some point it doesn't matter if you have 20 hits or 50. It doesn't even matter that Grace Jones had none (in the US) until RENAISSANCE. What matters more is how you're remembered, what you're remembered for, and the work you put out throughout your career.

[aaron511]

1 hour ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

U can tell Bey is in a weird spot:

 

She obviously HATES being a popstar with all her passion. Like theres no doubt - she hates being recognized, she hates meeting deadlines, she hates labels, she literally hates working.

 

On the other hand, she clearly loves being an artist, creating music, coming up with shows, and first and foremost, her LUXURY. She loves the money, u can tell that. 

 

While I understand this, I'll never understand why Team Beyonce is not able to come up with ideas of maximizing her incoming and money with creative ideas that do not feed into anything she hates - have a sit in interview with someone she Admires and likes, where the focus is on the music and her talking professionally about it. Why not have digital performances that are acoustic set up from her home?

These little things would help so so much from a fan perspective, would help boost the eras longevity and thus her income..  like idgi

You spilled 

 

Nobody says she should give interviews to TMZ, perform at VMAs or play stupid games with Jimmy Fallon. She proved herself over and over again throughout the last 20 years. But if she really loves being an artist - there are ways she can give fans a little joy without having to "make a fool of herself".

 

There must be at least one person that she would like to be interviewed by. On her own terms, hell, release it on Tidal if you have to. If she thinks she's too good to perform at the Grammys then record your own performances and post them directly on VEVO, like many artists have recently. Cuff It is smashing on its own? Well, if you don't wanna promote it actively then at least release the goddamn video that you've already filmed anyways 

 

As some of you already said - charts are not imporant, nobody cares if a song went top 5 or top 40 but the reality is - having known hits is important. If she wants to be considered more than a legacy act she needs to have songs that reach bigger audiences, it's also crucial for recurrent streams. Truthfully, she hasn't had a universal hit since Love on Top 

[swissman]

6 minutes ago, Shelter said:

I think it was YouTube because she was about to perform it on the SB. Probably for the media to share, but also in the caption it says "Download "Formation" exclusively on TIDAL.com " it was just another way to get people to TIDAL. 

Sure but you still could go to TIDAL.com, download it, and leave without ever subscribing. It can both be a way for her to get people to TIDAL, and not her main reasoning for not making it available for sales, radio, or streams (elsewhere).

[Mr. Specialist]

20 minutes ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

Aprils fools is in 4 months boo

LMAO please!

 

12 minutes ago, Angel94 said:

The last time @Mercurio was here he said Live Nation was on holidays and the work would be back in January and then we would have a date.

Oh okay. Im hoping we get a tour announcement soon. 

[aaron511]

1 minute ago, swissman said:

I think she does want to be considered a legacy act. She wants that legend status. She doesn't want to be peers with the new pop girlies.

Well, I guess it depends how you define it  For me a legacy act is someone like Madonna - people go to see her tours and appreciate her older stuff but ain't nobody apart from a couple of middle aged **** checking out her new albums cause they're expected to be filler-y and mostly an excuse to tour (no shade intended  ). Is that who she wants to be?

 

Meanwhile a Legend is an established act, a "premium brand" like somebody mentioned, with iconic songs and albums but still considered "hip" enough for people to check out and care for. Idk.

[swissman]

Just now, aaron511 said:

Well, I guess it depends how you define it  For me a legacy act is someone like Madonna - people go to see her tours and appreciate her older stuff but ain't nobody apart from a couple of middle aged **** checking out her new albums cause they're expected to be filler-y and mostly an excuse to tour (no shade intended  ). Is that who she wants to be?

 

Meanwhile a Legend is an established act, a "premium brand" like somebody mentioned, with iconic songs and albums but still considered "hip" enough for people to check out and care for. Idk.

lol I just hid my comment because I realized maybe we defined it differently.

 

In Beyoncé's case though, her albums are not filler in the slightest, so even without hits I don't think she's going to become the kind of "legacy act" you've described.

 

To me, a legend does not necessarily need to be hip to the current batch of young music listeners. They merely must have enough name recognition to understand that this is a person that is very respected and revered and even without a new hit to contextualize who they are, you understand by the way people talk about the person that this is someone of quality and importance. The fact that Beyoncé keeps peaking creatively is only cementing that. IMO she became a legend in 2013 after a career of huge hits because ST pushed her achievements over the age away from just commerce (which it had) into true musical artistry. But with Lemonade and then Homecoming, she's underlined it twice over, and with Renaissance she's taken any doubt, imo, able to both have critical acclaim and a #1 hit without so much as doing any promo.

 

[Otter]

3 hours ago, swissman said:

I'm not saying if it was a good or bad move, just that I don't think TIDAL is to blame. Keeping her best project to date off streaming was already something she'd done (ST) and seems likelier to fit with the "luxury item" marketing strategy she's had for her music since 2012, where quality was increased, price raised, and commercial accessibility limited, rather than any particular desire and belief that TIDAL was going to get her success. 

I'd very much bet that singles would have been on other streaming platforms if not for Tidal, and nor would we of had the 3 year wait. Especially when Lem essentially stopped selling after its 1st year.

It's not a coincidence that later releases more quickly went to spotify once Tidal showed its limited growth.

Tidal in itself was an investment, but I suspect they all expected bigger returns which is why the other artists dropped like flies and why none of them release exclusives to it anymore. The intention was for it to compete with the likes of spotify


 

[Lovett]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnAn0eavlkD/

[Otter]

3 hours ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

Regarding this topic, there are only 3 scenarios that apply to Bey:

A) She was oblivious/naive/stupid and believed other celebs would follow her suit or take Tidal as serious as she did -> unlikely cause she for SURE talked to Jay about all of that and knew he set up his own album a few days after the exclusivity of Tidal

B) She was well-aware that she was the only one taking it seriously and still didn't care -> possible

C) Her contract was set up that way: Maybe she got more money from Tidal as a security but had to provide true exclusives as a means to that bigger share -> also possible

Now we all know they were all a bit of this because they thought this video was doing something. I'm sorry but they really thought it would be a revolution... 
 

Instead it was some useful pocket change for those with signifcant shares (Jay for example, hence also the bigger investment on his side) but a waste of time/embarrassment for everyone else lmao

 

[Shelter]

3 minutes ago, G'Day said:

The Beyoncé everyone grew up loving died on this day and never returned.

 

 

She was so traumatized by the aftermath of this (rightfully so) and it’s no coincidence that she went from dozens of interviews during the 4 era to zero during the ST era. 

 

She was then in a state of purgatory in 2012 and 2013, where she had huge milestones (becoming a mother, doing the Super Bowl, LIBAD documentary) that were the final nails in the coffin for the popstar that she had worked 20+ years to be.

 

She was then reborn as the reclusive (and stubborn) legacy act on this night, after seeing she could enjoy her own life in peace and privacy and still garner massive success by just clicking an upload button on her computer.

 

This is the Beyoncé who walks the Earth today — the old one is dead so there is no need to discuss her anymore. 

It’s not only that, that person who took the SB pictures, I’m sure that hit her hard. Don’t think they let press into her concerts after that and no wonder she likes to pre record now. The media has tried hard to destroy her.

[*-ChriZ-*]

7 minutes ago, G'Day said:

The Beyoncé everyone grew up loving died on this day and never returned.

 

 

She was so traumatized by the aftermath of this (rightfully so) and it’s no coincidence that she went from dozens of interviews during the 4 era to zero during the ST era. 

 

She was then in a state of purgatory in 2012 and 2013, where she had huge milestones (becoming a mother, doing the Super Bowl, LIBAD documentary) that were the final nails in the coffin for the popstar that she had worked 20+ years to be.

 

She was then reborn as the reclusive (and stubborn) legacy act on this night, after seeing she could enjoy her own life in peace and privacy and still garner massive success by just clicking an upload button on her computer.

 

This is the Beyoncé who walks the Earth today — the old one is dead so there is no need to discuss her anymore. 

I dont know why but the dramatics of this post took my out

I agree tho lol

Edited January 4, 2023 by *-ChriZ-*

[AxelFox]

2 minutes ago, G'Day said:

The Beyoncé everyone grew up loving died on this day and never returned.

 

 

She was so traumatized by the aftermath of this (rightfully so) and it’s no coincidence that she went from dozens of interviews during the 4 era to zero during the ST era. 

 

She was then in a state of purgatory in 2012 and 2013, where she had huge milestones (becoming a mother, doing the Super Bowl, LIBAD documentary) that were the final nails in the coffin for the popstar that she had worked 20+ years to be.

 

She was then reborn as the reclusive (and stubborn) legacy act on this night, after seeing she could enjoy her own life in peace and privacy and still garner massive success by just clicking an upload button on her computer.

 

This is the Beyoncé who walks the Earth today — the old one is dead so there is no need to discuss her anymore. 

But that's exactly the issue at hand here. She's nothing like 2013-2017 Beyoncé either

 

I'd sell an arm for half the content we had during ST 

 

What's happening now is simply ridiculous and there's absolutely no reason for all of it rather than her stupid ambitions. Really, what is she trying to prove with this? That she's that b and can release an album out and COMPLETELY disappear for the rest of the year? 
 

Ok yeah we get it, you're all that and ****. Can we get a freaking video or a performance now? Is that too much to ask from her? 

[swissman]

17 minutes ago, Otter said:

I'd very much bet that singles would have been on other streaming platforms if not for Tidal, and nor would we of had the 3 year wait. Especially when Lem essentially stopped selling after its 1st year.

It's not a coincidence that later releases more quickly went to spotify once Tidal showed its limited growth.

Tidal in itself was an investment, but I suspect they all expected bigger returns which is why the other artists dropped like flies and why none of them release exclusives to it anymore. The intention was for it to compete with the likes of spotify


 

But what do you cite for the 3-year wait then? No one else did anything remotely like that. Was she really THAT on board for Tidal, even when she saw her own husband and the company's owner take his album elsewhere a week after its release? Did she personally feel so invested in the platform that she was willing to sacrifice her most personal, intimate and important work to date to it but would have released it to other streaming platforms easily if not for that? IMO its far more likely that she wanted sales exclusivity point blank. With, or without the platform.

 

At the end of the day, it's all conjecture, but what we do know about Lemonade is that she did not care for the success/failure of the singles so I have a hard time thinking she would have done all she could to support them if not for pesky TIDAL.

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by swissman

[Shelter]

1 minute ago, AxelFox said:

But that's exactly the issue at hand here. She's nothing like 2013-2017 Beyoncé either

 

I'd sell an arm for half the content we had during ST 

 

What's happening now is simply ridiculous and there's absolutely no reason for all of it rather than her stupid ambitions. Really, what is she trying to prove with this? That she's that b and can release an album out and COMPLETELY disappear for the rest of the year? 
 

Ok yeah we get it, you're all that and ****. Can we get a freaking video or a performance now? Is that too much to ask from her? 

Yeah it’s just so boring for us fans. If she doesn’t get up for the Grammys, I will flip, especially since she can for

Dubai. There is no excuse. I do think once the visuals and tour comes, her social media will be popping off with updates. 

[*-ChriZ-*]

No christmas Update, no goodbye 2022 update, no new years eve Update - damn we didnt know how good we had it in 2017