UPDATED, 10:08 p.m. ET: Apple Music has taken down Jay Z's The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and Blueprint 2.1. A source close to the situation says they were added by "accident."
See original story from 10/2/16 below.
Jay Z fans with Apple Music no longer have to consider changing their music streaming service to Tidal to hear some of the classic Blueprint series. 2001’s The Blueprint, 2002’s The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse and Blueprint 2.1, a special edition compilation album released in 2003, are now available on Apple Music.
Back in March, Pitchfork pointed out that Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt and the Blueprint albums were removed from Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon's digital music store. When they reached out to speak with a rep for Spotify, they explained that Jay Z’s Blueprint albums “have not been available on any streaming service except Tidal for a few months now. We hope he brings them back soon so that his millions of fans on Spotify can enjoy them again." As of this writing, Spotify does not have the Blueprint series and Reasonable Doubt available for streaming.
Several users on Twitter pointed out his albums returned to Apple Music earlier today, which could mean the service added them in over the weekend.
In June, there were talks of Apple Music acquiring Tidal reported by The Wall Street Journal, but the rumors were debunked by Buzzfeed, who spoke with Apple Music head Jimmy Iovine. He said, “We’re really running our own race. We’re not looking to acquire any streaming services."
The albums that are omitted from Apple Music are Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint 3. However, you can purchase Hov’s catalogue on iTunes. It’s everything except for The Blueprint 3.
Tidal subscribers can still access all of Jay’s discography.
