5 ways Beyoncé has changed the music industry

With 32 Grammys, almost a hundred musical numbers, and uncountable albums sold over the years, Beyoncé is one of the most decorated artists of all time.

However, Queen Bey's impact goes way beyond just the number game as she has been one of the most influential artists in recent history with several moves that have set industry benchmarks over the years. Moreover, Beyoncé is known for her philanthropy and impact on the upliftment of various social groups, especially people of color.

Moreover, she has started many iconic trends like popularizing the visual album, shifting the quintessential release date of a new album, and introducing surprise reveals.

Here are the top five ways the Cowboy Carter artist has caused paradigm-shifting trends in the industry.

Five ways in which Beyoncé has changed the music industry

1) The perfect concoction of a businesswoman and an artist

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles has commercialized creativity unlike very few. The Lemonade artist has always strived to keep a close control on her business side of things and her choices in the sector have gone on to establish her as one of the most calculated artists of this generation when it comes to the money game.

In 2010, the Cowboy Carter singer established Parkwood Entertainment after firing her father because of alleged money theft (revealed later when the latter filed a lawsuit). The company manages the business side of things for Queen Bey and helps her gain a monopoly over that sector.

Kinitra Brooks, a professor at Michigan State University who also edited The Lemonade Reader and The Renaissance Reader commented on Bey's prowess as a businesswoman.

"Beyoncé is a very shrewd businesswoman who’s learned to hire people who keep her business close, who have worked with her for a very long time," she said in an interview with TIME."

Furthermore, she lauded Beyoncé's ability to repackage an old trend and introduce it in a way that becomes the norm in the industry.

"A lot of times what Beyoncé does is open up and expose people to new things that they never would have been exposed to and there are politics involved in that because Beyoncé is bringing something to the fore,” concluded Brooks.

2) Shifting the worldwide norm of releasing a new album on Tuesdays

Show At "Chime For Change: The Sound Of Change Live" Concert (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Gucci)

Before Beyoncé's eponymous 2013 album, the whole of the music industry followed the trend of releasing a new album on a Tuesday. Before the advent of the digital age, Tuesday was considered the best day to release an album in order to get the most accurate results of album sales over the upcoming weekend.

Queen Bey released her 2013 album on a Friday and that caused a wave of new releases that year on several Fridays. Slowly and steadily, the accepted norm started shifting from Tuesdays to Fridays. Finally, in 2015, the record industry changed the norm and established Friday as the official day to release an album.

People realized that the audience preferred Fridays to buy new albums over Tuesdays because the former was followed by the weekends and holidays for a major chunk of the audience.

3) (Re) Popularizing the visual album

European Premiere of Disney's "The Lion King" (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)

In 1964, the Beatles made history by releasing the first visual album called A Hard Day's Night, which was also made into a musical film. However, Beyoncé is credited with re-popularizing the concept in modern times and making it an industry norm.

In 2013, Queen Bey released her eponymous album which was also accompanied by its own visual album. The 14 tracks of Beyoncé were accommodated in a total of seventeen music videos which were shot all over the world, from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

During a press release, the 42-year-old shared her thoughts about the newly introduced visual album. Bey also stressed the importance of visual imagery in shaping her personality as a child.

"I see music. It’s more than just what I hear. When I’m connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they’re all connected to the music,” commented Beyoncé.

4) Taking the surprise factor to the next level

The concept of a surprise release was already practiced by several juggernauts before Queen Bey. For instance, Radiohead revealed their 2007 album, In Rainbows, just ten days prior to its release. In fact, David Bowie used the technique to surprise fans after he had announced his retirement from music. Bowie secretly recorded The Next Day album and released it on his 66th birthday.

However, Queen Bey took it to the next level by releasing her 2013 album Beyoncé as a complete surprise. The 42-year-old did that to avoid any leaks prior to the release (something that happened in her 2011 album 4).

"I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist, and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record [was] coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans," expressed Beyoncé during a press release.

The trend continued with her sixth studio album, Lemonade, which was released in 2016. Since the setting of the trend, more industry icons have followed suit like Taylor Swift (Evermore and Folklore), Ariana Grande (thank you, next), Drake (If You're reading This It's Too Late), and even her husband Jay-Z (Magna Carta Holy Grail).

5) Breaking barriers since eternity

2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2 (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella )

Finally, it is imperative that we talk about the new horizons that Beyoncé has opened for a multitude of different communities, especially people of color. Queen Bey's rise to power in the industry has been accompanied by the opening of doors for several creative black people of varying talents.

For instance, Tyler Mitchell made history by becoming the first-ever African-American photographer for Vogue magazine when Beyoncé appeared on the cover of its September 2018 issue.

The 32-time Grammy winner also made history by becoming the first black woman in history to headline Coachella in 2018. In her act, she included a band completely composed of present and former alumni of various HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

In fact, Beyoncé also announced scholarships worth $25,000 each for four selected students of the HBCUs as a part of her BeyGOOD foundation.

Edited by Sreerupa Das