Jay Z Relaunches Tidal as Streaming Music Service
Posted on March 31, 2015
Jay Z has relaunched Tidal as a streaming music service. Jay Z purchased Aspiro, the company behind Tidal, earlier this year for $56 million. Users will pay to a monthly fee to subscribe to the service. The service is available through apps for iOS and Android devices as well as through the web.
Tidal says it will offer over 25 million tracks as well as access to 75,000 HD music videos. Other features include playlists, album spotlights and artist close-ups. Monthly subscriptions are available at $9.99 or $19.99.
Jay Z is billing Tidal as a platform owned by artists. The New York Times reports that other artists identified as Tidal owners at a press conference include Rihanna, Kanye West, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Jack White, Alicia Keys, Daft Punk, Beyonce and Jason Aldean.
Taylor Swift was not mentioned as a Tidal owner but her backlist will be available through the service. Taylor withdrew her music from the Spotify service last year. The fact that her music is on Tidal could explain what the mysterious brunch meeting was all about at the Grammys.
Andy Chen is the CEO of Tidal. He says in a statement, "From making sure there’s no loss in sound quality to telling the stories behind the creation of the music, we aim to maximize the listening experience. We are catering to people who really appreciate the quality things in life, whether that is music, sound or lifestyle, because quality should not be compromised and because music fans now demand more from their music service."