New rules, new rules indeed… Initially, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was not going to count the one million pre-release digital sales of Jay-Z’s upcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail which were purchased by Samsung. It now appears they have since had a change of heart.
Announcing today in a blog post of their own, the RIAA has decided that they will indeed count the one million sales purchased by Samsung in account of “change in consumption of music”. Not only does this make Jay-Z’s album platinum before release, it also opens the door for other artists to strategize new album releases around the same format. Updating their Gold & Platinum requirements once again, artists no longer have to wait 30 days for their album to be RIAA certified, as they are now eligible for G&P status upon release. RIAA Director, Liz Kennedy, said the following:
We think it’s time for the RIAA – and Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman – to align our digital song and album certification requirements. That’s why today we are officially updating this rule in our G&P Program requirements. Going forward, sales of albums in digital format will become eligible on the release date, while sales of albums in physical format will still become eligible for certification 30 days after the release date.
You can check out the full statement regarding the rule change, but we also want to hear from you in the comments section. What are your opinions on the game changer?