MUMBAI: After coming under fire from both, musicians and fans, Jay Z has finally addressed the criticism his latest venture- Tidal has been subjected to in recent weeks. The ‘Holy Grail’ rapper took to micro blogging site- Twitter, which he hardly ever does, to put his point of view across.
In what he called a “stream of consciousness”, the rapper/ producer posted a series of tweets explaining that the new high fidelity music streaming service is “doing just fine”. “We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts” he tweeted.
We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
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There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign. We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
We made Tidal for fans. We have more than just music. We have video, exclusive concerts, tickets for events early, live sports!…
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
….Tidal is where artists can give their fans more without the middlemen. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Jay Z countered arguments that the music service would not necessarily help up and coming artists, and addressed opinions that stated Tidal’s major shareholders, most of which are world famous musicians, would be the ones benefitting most from it.
Indie artists who want to work directly w/ us keep 100% of their music. "If you don't want the CEOs all in the videos" haa #tidalfacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers – not just the founding members on stage.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Rich getting richer? Equity values… YouTube $390 billion. Apple $760 billion. Spotify $8 billion. Tidal $60 million. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
His last few tweets appealed to the masses to give the service a chance, also pointing out that iTunes did not achieve the success it currently enjoys overnight and that it took Spotify nine years to become successful.
We have Tidal X – it supports artists by giving them a platform to connect with their most loyal fans. Tidal is for all. #Tidalfacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Our actions will speak louder than words. We made Tidal to bring people the best experiences…
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
We are human (even Daft Punk ha). We aren't perfect – but we are determined. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Since its launch in March this year, Tidal has not received the welcome it probably hoped for. In fact, the service fell off the 700 top iPhone app download list last week, while its main competitors- Pandora and Spotify, took 3rd and 4th places on the list.
