Beyonce smashes iTunes records with new album

Beyonce has smashed global sales records on music downloading service iTunes after selling more than 800,000 copies of her new, self-titled album in just three days.

The Crazy In Love hitmaker surprised fans by releasing her fifth studio project online on Friday (13Dec13) without any major advertising campaign or prior announcement, and devotees were sent into a spin as they flocked to iTunes to purchase the new music and its accompanying videos.

Sales figures have now revealed Beyonce shifted 828,773 units worldwide in just 72 hours, with the majority purchases made in the U.S., where it sold 616,213.

The tally broke the superstar's own first-week sales record for 2006's B'Day, which racked up 541,000 hits in seven days.

The new album is expected to debut atop the Billboard 200 chart this week (18Dec13).