RIAA rule update: Jay-Z's new album, 'Magna Carter Holy Grail,' could be platinum in days

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Jay-Z’s upcoming album Magna Carter Holy Grail could be platinum within days of its July 4th release, due to an RIAA rules update.

Following Jay-Z’s unprecedented marketing campaign with Samsung for his upcoming album, in which the cell phone service provider will be giving away one million digital copies of Jay-Z’s Magna Carter Holy Grail, the RIAA decided to review the rules for their Gold & Platinum (G&P) Program.

The RIAA originally required 30 days for potential returns of physical albums (CDs, vinyl, etc.).  In what they call a “common sense update,” the RIAA will no longer require 30 days from release date for an album to become eligible for the G&P Program.

When the RIAA expanded the G&P Program to included digital singles in 2004, the 30-day rule was not imposed because “there are very few digital returns.”

In an effort to align the qualifications for digital singles and digital albums, the 30-day rule will not apply to digital albums henceforth.

The RIAA statement released yesterday from Liz Kennedy, director of communications and Gold & Platinum Program, opened with:

By now, many of us in the music business, as well as Jay-Z fans, know that Samsung has purchased one million “Magna Carta Holy Grail” digital albums to be given away to the phone maker’s customers.  It is a novel and creative marketing move and it has rightly stimulated a healthy conversation about the sale’s meaning and implications for the modern music business.

Click here to read the full statement.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.