New Rules:No Rules

Last week Jay-Z shook up the music industry once again when he announced he would be dropping a new album July 4^th entitled Magna Carta Holy Grail. The album will be the 12^th from the Brooklyn rapper. Jay-Z has transcended from music superstar to successful businessman. In announcing the album a little over two weeks before its release, the artist formerly known as Shawn Carter has adopted a strategy of new rules: no rules.

Jay-Z partnered with Samsung earlier this month in a deal reportedly set to earn Jay-Z $20 million. The parameters of the deals were unclear, but the signs of something bigger brewing were certainly present. The announcement of the new album came at halftime of the NBA Finals this past Sunday. The announcement came in the form of 3-minute Samsung commercial featuring producers Timbaland, Pharell Williams, Rick Rubin, and Swizz Beatz.

To add to the release of the new album, Samsung sweetens the deal for a million of its users. Samsung will giveaway a million digital copies of the album away free via the Google play app. It has been reported that Samsung paid Jay-Z $5 per album that is given away for free. With the stir of Jay-Z selling a million albums before it is even released, rumors swirled of the album going platinum in an unprecedented way,

With swirls of the album going platinum so fast emerging, a spokesperson from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) confirmed that albums are only eligible for RIAA certification 30 days after release. Billboard also reached out to explain that albums bought in bulk are not counted.

Jay-Z seems to be getting a kick out of the confusion amongst the masses. On June 17^th Jay-Z tweeted “ If 1 Million records gets SOLD and billboard doesn’t report it, did it happen? Ha. ‪#newrules ‪#magnacartaholygrail Platinum!!! VII IV XIII”

With the sudden announcements Jay-Z has turned the marketing strategies of releasing music upside down. With Jay-Z’s every moved watched he continues to push the envelope and use his business acumens to achieve success within the music industry. There is no song on the radio, no press tour to fill us in on what the album is about. We get information in doses, leaving us in anticipation for the next thing. Jay-Z even recently sent fans on a scavenger hunt to reveal the tracklist of the upcoming album. An act that can only be orchestrated by an artist such as Shawn Carter.