Beyoncé's self-titled visual album will be the subject of a case study conducted by Harvard Business School.
According to The Harvard Gazette, the school decided to examine all the moving parts that made the album one of the biggest and most successful in music history. The case study will also examine the PR aspects of the album.
The critically acclaimed album debuted at No. 1, selling more than 600,000 copies in its first three days. The album's release was backed by partnerships with Apple, Facebook and Instagram.
The case study will include insights from top executives at Parkwood Entertainment, the management company that Beyoncé heads, as well as Columbia Records, Facebook and Apple. The study was written by Anita Elberse, a Lincoln Filene professor of business administration, and Stacie Smith, a former student.
"She's clearly among the most powerful people in the music industry at the moment ... so to understand the operation behind such a powerful figure is always very interesting," Elberse said.
The case study will also be taught in Elberse's course titled "Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries," as she has extensively studied marketing strategies in the entertainment, media and sports industries.
Beyoncé's visual album, released last December, featured 14 new songs and 17 videos.
"I see music," Beyoncé said in a press release, explaining why she made a visual album. "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."
Harvard Business School's case study will be released next week.
