Samsung Buys 1 Million Copies Of Jay-Z New Album “Magna Carta Holy Grail” [VIDEO]

Samsung Buys 1 Million Copies Of Jay-Z New Album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" [VIDEO]

In a deal that sources put at $5 million, Samsung has purchased 1 million copies of Jay-Z’s next album, entitled “Magna Carta Holy Grail”. A million Samsung Galaxy smartphone users will receive a free copy on July 4th, 72 hours prior the official release. It's not yet clear that these million copies will count towards Jay-Z's first week positions on Billboard's Nielson Soundscan charts. The rumored $5 per copy price would theoretically allow the business savvy star to qualify, virtually guaranteeing a #1 debut.

"We need to write the new rules."

click on image to enlarge
Samsung owners will receive “Magna Carta Holy Grail” via an app, which can be downloaded starting June 24th. It will offer what the company calls an "unprecedented inside look into the album personal stories and inspiration" and unlock the album for play on July 4, three days before it officially goes on sale for the non-Galaxy owning world.
The new album and the Sunsung deal were unveiled with this three minute commercial debuted during the NBA Finals on Sunday. In the video and accompanying site Jay-Z repeats the theme that the internet has changed everything, and thus, "We need to write new rules."

Bruce Houghton on 06/17/2013 in Major Labels, Music 2.0, Music Business | Permalink

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Billboard reminds how antiquated their charts are with rejection of 1m Jay-Z Samsung albums

Billboard Reminds How Antiquated Their Charts Are With Rejection Of 1M Jay-Z Samsung Albums

The rules are the rules; or at least that's what Billboard Magazine decided when eliminating the 1 million albums that Jay-Z is distributing free to Samsung users from chart calculations. The decision, which netted Jay-Z a rumored $5 million, could cost the rapper/entrepreneur a spectacular #1 debut, as well as, a multi-platinum award for his wall.

While Billboard Editorial Director Bill Werde laid out the magazine's reasoning logically and thoughtfully, he also unknowingly reminded everyone that, despite some innovation, Billboard's charts are relics of another era.

For while Billboard's rules are Billboard's rules, the success or failure of Jay'Z's new album is far more about fan reaction and play counts, than it is about traditional sales.

In letter published to today, Werde wrote:

"...it wasn't as simple as you might think to turn down Jay-Z when he requested that we count the million albums that Samsung "bought" as part of a much larger brand partnership, to give away to Samsung customers. True, nothing was actually for sale - Samsung users will download a Jay-branded app for free and get the album for free a few days later after engaging with some Jay-Z content. The passionate and articulate argument by Jay's team that something was for sale and Samsung bought it also doesn't mesh with precedent."

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