

Rodney Carmichael: "I think another thing that's interesting about Parkwood is it really reflects how much of a curator Beyoncé is.

She is one person who you are sure that you only know what she wants you to know, when she wants you to know it." SM: "The creative control there was so precise and so calculated so calibrated that I really think she set the tone for other artists. But few did it as completely and effectively as Beyonce did." RH: "A lot of artists became more independent in the 2010s for lots of different reasons a lot of barriers fell down. So when this bomb just exploded of new content, new music, people were losing it." Beyoncé and Artist Empowerment So there were a little bit of murmurings within the Internet, but there was nothing confirmed.

Sidney Madden: "She really put her faith in her fan base and she knew that her beehive would effectively blow up the Internet with this. And how on earth kept this whole thing a secret is another big mystery." I think of a band like Radiohead that played around with it a little bit, but they gave at least a few days notice when their last few records were going to come out. But no one really quite saw the potential until she dropped Beyoncé. Robin Hilton: "The surprise drop, it's fairly common now especially with hip-hop releases.
#Define musicality full
You can hear the full conversation with the play button at the top of the page and read edited highlights below. 13, 2013, when Beyoncé suddenly, without warning, dropped her self-titled album online, in the iTunes store. Our conversation begins with a moment that unfolded in the early morning hours of Dec. But we start with five of the (many) ways the singer, songwriter, producer and businesswoman Beyoncé elevated her own career while helping to drive and define the 2010s. Over the next several weeks on All Songs Considered, we're going to dig deeper into a number of these decade-defining themes. And while countless musicians were part of this collective narrative, few dominated or helped guide these new directions and conversations as powerfully as Beyoncé. Social media blew up, lines blurred between genres, the way music was released became completely unpredictable and artists took more control of every aspect of their business and identity, all while fans, bands and critics questioned whether full albums even matter anymore. When we look back at the past decade in music, we see a number of recurring trends emerge. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Parkwood Entertainment
