Traditionally, an album cannot gain gold or platinum certification status for digital sales until 30 days after it is released. However, Jay-Z has already penned a deal with Samsung, who bought one million copies of the album ahead of its release to offer to Samsung Galaxy users for free.

While the 30-day waiting period is still applicable to physical releases, the RIAA is eager to update their system to accommodate modern sales formats, inspired by Jay-Z's move.

"For us, the move prompted a re-examination of our historic Gold & Platinum (G&P) Program award rules," wrote Liz Kennedy, the Director of the RIAA's Gold and Platinum Program, on the organization's blog. "Not only do we believe it's sensible and logical to align digital album rules with those we have maintained for digital singles since the program's inception, we also consider today's move in line with our larger efforts to modernize the [Gold and Platinum] Program to reflect the new music marketplace."