Beyoncé and JAY-Z filming the "Apeshit" music video at the Louvre turned out to be a good look for the French museum. Already the most-visited museum in the world, the Louvre broke ticket office records in 2018 with over 10 million visitors. This figure marks a 25 percent rise and its highest since 2012's 9.7 million visitors. The museum's director Jean-Luc Martinez knew who to thank.
“The Beyoncé video, like the opening of the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, ensured that the Louvre was talked about across the world, and one of the consequences of that is the spectacular rise in visitor numbers last year," Martinez said, according to the Guardian.
As with most things Beyoncé, "Apeshit" immediately made a splash when it was released last June alongside the Carters' collaborative album, Everything Is Love. Viewers soon discussed how much sauce JAY-Z and Beyoncé must have to be able to rent out the Louvre, the world's largest art museum. A Louvre spokesperson explained that the couple visited the institution four times over the past 10 years and explained the concept during their May 2018 stop.
“The deadlines were very tight, but the Louvre was quickly convinced because the synopsis showed a real attachment to the museum and its beloved artworks," the spokesperson said.
The month after "Apeshit" dropped, the Louvre started offering 90-minute tours inspired the video, proving they knew about the Carters' significance well before the final 2018 numbers came and that they know their demographic: More than 50 percent of the Louvre's visitors are under 30.
Conversely, Beyoncé got some not-as-great news to start 2019. Her company Parkwood Entertainment has been hit with a class-action lawsuit that claims her website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by not giving access to her products to visually impaired viewers. The lawsuit cites the lack of an alt-text code with her website's images (a screen-reader can read the text), accessible drop-down menus, and the inability to use a keyboard instead of a mouse, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Parkwood's reps haven't commented on the case.
