Beyoncé gets the last laugh by redefining publicity and commerce

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Beyoncé’s new self-titled album has taken on a life of its own.

The album is Beyoncé’s most successful debut to date, and is paced to be the biggest-selling album of the year.

But the part of Queen B’s success story that will inevitably keep her name on our lips well into 2014, is her ability to triumph over retailers like Target and Amazon, who refuse to sell her CD.

If Target and Amazon thought they were punishing Beyoncé, the joke is on them, because the 32-year-old songstress is getting the last laugh.

The 14-song, 17- video album, which is on track for another likely No.1 Billboard spot this week, was released with zero promotion and publicity, however retailers like Target and Amazon are heightening the already massive hype around the album.

On December 20, Mrs. Carter turned Amazon and Target’s rebellions into a publicity opportunity, making a surprise appearance at a Massachusetts Walmart, buying a copy of her album and doling out $50 Walmart giftcards to all shoppers on the premises.

Saturday afternoon, continuing her victory lap on a stop by New York’s School for Visual Arts for a screening of videos from her album, Beyoncé opened up about the unprecedented digital release of her album, which she says required much bravery.

“I’ve never done anything so brave in my life,” Queen Bey told the crowd. “The amount of personal growth from this project is unlike anything I’ve ever done. I took all of my insecurities, all of my doubts, all of my fears, and everything I’ve learned, [and] I applied it into this project.”

Without question, Beyonce’s new album is a game-changer in the music industry. To Bey’s truest fans, Beyoncé redefines pop, feminism, matrimony, and motherhood in just a little over a dozen tracks. And without really seeking to do so, Beyoncé super-sized release model has redfined the act of publicity translating into commerce.

All hail Queen Bey!

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter for more entertainment news at @WitherspoonC