Jay-Z had the music and tech world in a fuss when he announced he was releasing the first one million copies of his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail to Samsung Galaxy users for free.
When Jay-Z went on his mini Twitter rant on Monday, he tweeted:
If 1 Million records gets SOLD and billboard doesnt report it, did it happen? Ha. #newrules #magnacartaholygrail Platinum!!! VII IV XIII
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) June 17, 2013
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Well, according to Billboard, the answer is no.
For official counting purposes the answer is “no,” said David Bakula, an analyst for Nielsen Entertainment, whose Nielsen SoundScan figures are used to rank Billboard’s weekly music chart. Although the rapper’s latest album is expected top the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart in its first week, bulk sales that are given away are not counted in total sales, according to Billboard’s policy, even if the rapper and his record label are paid for the records.
“The bottom line is they’re getting paid on a million albums,” Bakula told Reuters. “From what Billboard considers chart-eligible, we don’t count free-to-consumers (albums).
It looks like Jay-Z can’t rest on his laurels just yet, because free albums don’t go towards official record sales.
Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail is scheduled to drop on July 4 for Samsung users and July 7 for the rest of the world.
If you’re hoping to catch Jay live in concert, you’re in luck. He’ll be kicking off his “Legends Of The Summer” tour with Justin Timberlake on July 17.
