Hip-hop titan Jay-Z has proved he has the Midas touch - half the tickets available for next year's Glastonbury festival were snapped up within hours.

The 99 Problems hitmaker was blamed for poor ticket sales at the 2008 event, with some critics insisting hip-hop acts didn't belong at such a rock-orientated festival.

However, Jay-Z thrilled fans with his headlining slot at the event in June, and opened the doors for other rap stars to perform at similar shows.

And now, Glastonbury bosses have revealed that half of the total number of tickets for 2009's festival were snapped up as soon as they went on sale on Sunday.

The move has come as a confidence booster for festival organizers because fans won't know any of the headline acts until early next year.

Glastonbury spokesman John Shearlaw tells the BBC, "We are very calm about it - it's a vote of confidence. It's brilliant that here we are in October talking about a festival that isn't happening until next year."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)