Tag: billboard

Jay-Z, photographed as he arrived at the 10th annual “Billboard Music Awards” at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on December 8, 1999. 20 days later the rapper released his 3x Multi-Platinum fourth studio album Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, and continued his ascent to the top of the game.

That evening Jigga had picked up three nominations, including “Rap Artist of the Year,” “Male Artist of the Year” and “R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist of the Year.” He beat out other nominees Busta Rhymes, JT Money, and Solé for “Rap Artist of the Year;” and lost the other two awards to Ricky Martin and DMX respectively.

Jay-Z, photographed with his award for “Rap Artist of the Year” while in attendance at the “Billboard Music Awards” at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on December 8, 1999. The other nominees in the category were Busta Rhymes, JT Money, and Solé. 

During the show Hov was also nominated for “Male Artist of the Year” and “R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist of the Year"—losing out to Ricky Martin and DMX respectively.

Jay-Z and Desiree Perez, photographed together at the one-year anniversary party for The 40/40 Club on June 17, 2004. The all-American sports bar and opulent lounge was founded by Hov and his longtime friend and business partner “OG Juan” Perez – Dez’ husband. She has spent many years managing the brand’s portfolio of venues. “I love sports and wanted to create an environment that is conducive to match my lifestyle, while watching the games at the same time,” said Jay of his decision to open the club. “When we were thinking of a name, we wanted something exclusive–the 40/40 Club in baseball is as exclusive as it gets.” OG Juan added that “we tried to create a place that would be favorable to all, and we think we have found it with the combination of sports and an upscale hip lounge.”

Today Roc Nation’s Chief Operating Officer has been included in Billboard magazine’s annual “Women in Music: The Most Powerful Executives in the Industry” feature. Here is her write-up: “Roc Nation’s rock. The notoriously private Perez has a reputation as a tough negotiator, which she proved again with Sprint’s $200 million investment in TIDAL announced in January. That deal paid off five months later when JAY-Z released his 14th Billboard 200 No. 1 album, 4:44, as a Sprint-sponsored free download to 1 million people, earning the MC a Platinum plaque before the album’s official release. It has since racked up 600,000 equivalent album units and served as the crown jewel of an impressive marketing campaign. In April, Live Nation, an equity partner in Roc Nation, signed a new, long-term $200 million touring partnership with JAY-Z ahead of the Roc’s 10-year anniversary in 2018; the average gross from his current ‘4:44 Tour,’ sponsored by Puma, is 21 percent higher than 2013’s ‘Magna Carter Tour.’”

In a report from Live Nation and Billboard, the recent rumors of the “4:44 Tour” underperforming have been debunked. In fact, with only three shows down, it is marked as JAY-Z’s highest-grossing solo tour ever. The tour has already sold more tickets than his 2013 

“Magna Carter World Tour,” with tickets to 30 more shows still available to purchase.

As we know from his Rap Radar conversation, the TIDAL pre-sales drew record numbers in Hov’s touring career; and the average gross for completed shows is up 21% over the “Magna Carter World Tour”—Live Nation has confirmed that the Anaheim stop earned nearly 49% more than the December 6, 2013 date. “This tour will be the biggest headlining tour of Jay’s career,” says Omar Al-Joulani, VP of touring at Live Nation.

So, as much as “news” outlets want you to believe it, the 4:44 Tour tickets selling for $6 on StubHub don’t equal a supposed soft demand for his tour: they’re actually a sign that Hov and his Live Nation partners have successfully priced the pesky ticket scalpers out of the game, by charging market rates for the best seats in the house. By more aggressively pricing the front row seats and the

D’USSÉ

VIP experiences, they have commanded the highest prices from their best seating inventory. That is the bad news for resellers—by pricing the tickets closer to their actual market value, Jigga and LN are capturing more revenue and creating little room for brokers to mark up the best seats.

Further eliminating scalpers is their strategy to release large blocks of tickets prior to the rapper taking the stage. Al-Joulani revealed to Billboard that they have been releasing and selling around 10% of the total tickets on the day of show, with no markdown in price. The Las Vegas show saw 1,480 full-priced tickets sold on the day—a record for an arena show in Sin City. 

“This might be the future of ticketing,” explained Patrick Ryan with ticketing and inventory company Eventellect. “We are seeing many creative pricing strategies and we are seeing artists find what works for them. You generate a ton of revenue up front, but you still have a $25 price point that makes it more affordable for individuals who want to see an arena show.” The result is a seven-figure per night gross for JAY-Z, and a lower get-in-the-door price for fans looking for a deal. 

Jay-Z, photographed arriving at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Hov would go on to win “Rap Artist of the Year” over Busta Rhymes, JT Money, and Solé. Hov was also nominated for “Male Artist of the Year” and “R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist of the Year" – losing out to Ricky Martin and DMX respectively.