Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ Comes to iTunes

When Beyoncé’s album “Lemonade” was released late Saturday night, it was available only on Tidal, a big win for that subscription streaming service, in which Beyoncé is a part owner.

But Tidal’s period of exclusivity appears to be quite short — just 24 hours, as the album is expected to be released for sale on iTunes at midnight on Sunday, according to two people briefed on the plans for the release, who, following the usual ironclad rules of secrecy surrounding Beyoncé’s projects, were not authorized to discuss them. Apple declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for Beyoncé did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Late Sunday afternoon, Tidal announced that in addition to its streaming version of “Lemonade,” it would be selling a version for download at $17.99. A Tidal spokesman said that the service would have the exclusive streaming version “in perpetuity.” Amazon also confirmed that it would soon begin selling both digital and physical versions of the album.

The brief window of exclusivity for Tidal reflects the growing complexity and fragmentation of the digital music market. For Beyoncé, whose every move is watched intensely by the music business, releasing an album comes with seemingly irreconcilable pressures regarding, on the one hand, managing her business interests and, on the other, reaching as wide an audience as possible. Adele declined to stream her blockbuster album “25” on any service, and Taylor Swift removed all her albums from Spotify before the release of “1989,” her latest album, which is available on Apple Music, the company’s streaming service.

As a partner in Tidal — the service that her husband, Jay Z, bought just over a year ago for $56 million and reintroduced as an artist-friendly alternative to Spotify — Beyoncé faced a strong incentive to release the album exclusively through that outlet, to draw attention to the service and attract subscribers to it.