Not only is the site a beautiful example of how to market music using technology, it's also a great case study for implementing social media in any website for an organically interactive experience.
The entire site, which was built with Flash, is fresh and visually intense, executed in stunning black and white with atmospheric, New York City photography and classic typography.
The site is rich with multimedia features, including full-screen images and gorgeously produced videos. These highly visual elements dominate and recede at the click of a mouse; user controls are intuitive and unique at the same time.
Pages are organized by time period; for each period, you can view images, videos, discography and milestones.
An even cooler factor is the way the site incorporates tweets. The fans are actually given a rather large mic on this site, but Twitter's constant stream of commentary is both powerfully and gracefully incorporated. Unlike the Skittles debacle of 2009, this page gives some (but not all) of its voice to fans, while giving them tools to enter the conversation and some very handy prompts for shaping the conversation, as well.
Here's the pop-up that appears when you click on the banner reading "Tweets is watching. Add your voice."
Tweets displayed on the site start off as an unobtrusive EQ line at the bottom of the page, with glowing bars and floating text as you mouse over each bar.
When you click on a particular bar (representing a tweet), a carousel interface pops over the site, and you can see what people are tweeting about Jay-Z.
According to Agency Net, the firm that created the new site along with Island Def Jam, its approach to social media integration "was inspired by a very basic insight: fans love to use social media, particularly Twitter, to post Jay-Z lyrics and illustrate their dexterity."
"That said, after a few glances at the organic, fan-powered hashtags #jayzlyrics and #jayzquote, we were sold on including a mechanism for fans to offer homage in the way they’re already doing so, but this time on the most credible platform ever: amongst the content itself and visualized by the world."
In other words, they joined the ongoing game rather than trying to force people to participate in a new one.
Tweets sent through the site will appear in the timeline with the hashtag #jayzhits and a Bit.ly link to the specific page they refer to.
The Hits Collection, Volume One will be in stores later this month; it'll include classics such as "99 Problems" and "Big Pimpin'" as well as newer hits like "Empire State of Mind." You can pre-order the CD and other collector's editions via the website.
Coincidentally, this anthology is dropping the same day as Kanye West's recently leaked new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.