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.