About
Tidal is a high fidelity streaming service owned by rapper and entrepenuer Shawn “Jay Z” Carter. The service received a negative reaction for being overpriced and only sponsoring bigger artists including Kanye West and Nicki Minaj among others.
History
The original owner, Aspiro first launched Tidal in the UK, US, and Canada on October 28, 2014, along with a sponsorship with electronics company Sonos.[1] The service later opened in Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.[2] Later in January, Jay Z’s Project Panther Ltd. purchased the company for 56 million dollars.[3]
Criticism
Upon release, the site received mixed to negative reception, saying that although the site will likely lead to the further payment of artists[4], many writers and independent artists critiqued the lack of difference between audio quality, high price, and overall corporate vibe.[5][6]
Search Interest
Note: the high peak in 2005 comes from an unrelated Chinese tidal wave that killed 14,000
External References
[1]Telegraph – Tidal launches lossless music streaming in UK and US
[2]Music Week – Tidal launches in five more European countries
[3]International Business Times – Tidal launch livestream: Watch Jay Z relaunching high fidelity music streaming service
[4]Billboard – Is Jay Z’s Tidal Good for Music Business
[5]USA Today – 3 Reasons Why Jay Z’s Tidal Streaming Service is Stupid
[6]Styleite – Marina The Diamonds on Tidal ‘It Feels Very Corporate’