An exclusive Watch The Throne deal with Best Buy and iTunes will screw over regular retailers.
Billboard.biz reports that Kanye West and Jay-Z’s hugely anticipated Watch The Throne album will be released early for certain periods by Best Buy and iTunes, leaving other retailers behind the eight-ball.
The companies behind the release – Roc A Fella, Roc Nation, Live Nation, Island Def Jam and Universal Music Group – have cut the deal which will let iTunes sell the album exclusively from August 8.
They’ve also given best Buy an exclusive deal to sell the Deluxe Edition of the album for two weeks before everyone else.
Amazon Music director Chris Pape said in a statement, "We believe fans should have the option to buy the same music at their preferred retailer, on the same date, and unfortunately that is not always the case."
Watch the Throne will be available in all other stores on August 12.
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