Jay-Z's new album Magna Carta Holy Grail has become a game-changing record, even before its release.
First off, Holy Grail is the premiere album of its kind-owners of Samsung phones will first get access to the record, and the first million who cop will receive Jay-Z's latest for free.
Now, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has redefined how they classify an album as reaching Gold and Platinum status, in the wake of Jay's innovation.
On Monday, the RIAA said that they will start counting digital sales as numbers that will go toward Gold and Platinum certification right off the bat, rather than observing the usual 30 day post-release rule to begin ticking off hits.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the old method was first put into action to acknowledge returns on leftover product, since Gold and Platinum awards are given based on numbers of copies sent to stores, not overall copies sold.
Jay-Z's special release highlights the fact that MP3 now rules record-buying: you can't return an iTunes download online as you did back when Tower Records was still an established business.
With Holy Grail on the horizon, the organization has made the decision to switch up its rules.
"Not only do we believe it's sensible and logical to align digital album rules with those we have maintained for digital singles since the program's inception, we also consider today's move in line with our larger efforts to modernize the G&P Program to reflect the new music marketplace," RIAA's Liz Kennedy wrote in a press release. "The reality is that how fans consume music is changing, the music business is changing as labels and artists partner with a breathtaking array of new technology services, and the industry's premier award recognizing artists' commercial achievement should similarly keep pace."
Samsung has already bought up one million digital downloads of Holy Grail as part of its deal for users to get a free copy. This instantly puts the album up for platinum certification eligibility.
Billboard chart-watchers have stated that they will not recognize those particular buyers of the album, however, due to the fact that the downloads are free.
"Had Jay-Z and Samsung charged $3.49-our minimum pricing threshold for a new release to count on our charts-for either the app or the album, the U.S. sales would have registered," the magazine reported.
Jay has already released a few small teasers for his album, including one where he appears to come close to tears talking about his father, parenthood and daughter Blue Ivy to producer Rick Rubin.
