Jay-Z Rhapsody Commercial

via press release

Hip-hop superstar and music industry mogul Jay-Z has teamed up with Rhapsody and MTV to promote the highly-anticipated release of his new album, "The Blueprint 3." As part of the partnership, the entire album will be available for fans to listen to for free on Rhapsody.com and from MTV's "The Leak", almost two weeks prior to its official release. In addition, Rhapsody will also make the new album available for purchase beginning September 8, three days ahead of the street release, and will include two exclusive bonus tracks.

Leading this partnership, three new Rhapsody TV spots featuring Jay-Z and his hit song "Run This Town" featuring Kanye West and Rihanna, will debut starting on September 1 across MTV Networks. In addition to two 30-second ads, Rhapsody will premiere a 60-second version of the ad in the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13.

"It's great to get the support of two major music industry players for The Blueprint 3," said Jay-Z. "Rhapsody brought an amazing creative vision to the table, and it was exciting collaborating with them."

"Jay-Z's hands-on participation throughout this creative process has been incredibly refreshing for an artist of his stature," said Jessica Friedberg, senior director of consumer marketing at Rhapsody America. "Rhapsody is excited to showcase a unique 60 second TV spot leading into his performance at the VMAs. Being able to combine this creative campaign and the early release of his new album with MTV Networks gives us all a unique way to connect with his fans, old and new."

The Jay-Z spots are the latest installment of Rhapsody's ongoing "Fans Get It" campaign. Rhapsody's "Fans Get It" campaign kicked off earlier this year with a massive promotion around Green Day's hugely successful release "21st Century Breakdown," followed with more promotions with top artists in genres from pop to country. The "Fans Get It" campaign has utilized a similar treatment through all the ads, which celebrate the culture and iconography of artists' careers, enabling them direct involvement in the creative development of the spot. These high-profile promotions both serve as a great vehicle to further connect music fans with the artists they love, and have also contributed to significant increases in brand awareness and user engagement for Rhapsody's music subscription service. Over a two-month period following the Green Day television spot, the subscription service's usage grew by 20 percent.