Music industry icons have been used by large consumer electronics makers as representatives of their brands. At the start of the year Canada based BlackBerry roped in popular singer Alicia Keys to help launch their brand new BlackBerry 10 platform. It is now being reported that Samsung is also utilizing the star power of Jay Z to promote their devices. TechCrunch claims that the South Korean device maker is “giving away one million copies of “Magna Carta Holy Grail” to owners of its flagship smartphone 72 hours before the album’s official debut on July 4.” Rap artist Jay-Z had alluded to the deal last Sunday during a TV commercial that was aired during Game 5 of the National Basket Ball Association Final taking place between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs.
The Jay Z album is schedule to drop on July 4 but Samsung Galaxy owners get a chance to hear the hotly anticipated songs thanks to Samsung’s purchase of 1 million copies. According to reports in The Wall Street Journal, the South Korean conglomerate paid bought each album for $5. This put a whopping $5 million into Jay Z’s pockets even before the “Magna Carta Holy Grail” album went on sale around the world.
The unique deal between Jay Z and Samsung could benefit the maker of the Galaxy smartphones in several ways. Associating the brand with a popular artist like Jay Z helps up the “cool” factor of the device in the US and helps with its battle against iPhone maker Apple. The South Korean firm enjoys the top smartphone selling spot globally according to IDC that claims the company has a 28.8% percent share. However, California based Apple still rules the roost in the US even though Samsung’s Galaxy devices have made a lot of head way in the US. The problem has been a large court battle in the US between Apple and Samsung which has given some consumers the impression that Samsung is a copycat manufacturer and not an innovative device maker like Apple. The upcoming album deal may help reduce these perceptions and also attract younger buyers.
Another reason behind the music themed deal could be Samsung’s wish to take on the recently announced iTunes Radio from Apple. The service allows users to listen to a preview of songs before they are released into the general market. The South Korean firm has its out streaming music service called Music Hub which could gain from the Jay Z album’s early release by attracting new and current customers to choose the service over Apple’s product.
Source: TechCrunch
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