From Drug Dealer to Billionaire
The rapper Jay-Z, bornname: Shaun Carter, is well-known for a lot of things. He is one of the most popular and successful recording rappers of all time, having come from selling crack cocaine on street corners in New York City and becoming one of the most well-known and respected artists in hip hop. He has released some of the most highly acclaimed and critically acclaimed hip hop albums of all time, including his debut release Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint series, and The Black Album. Jay-Z has also won 24 Grammy awards over the course of his career, including a special Salute to Industry Icons award in 2018 recognizing his hard work over the years.
Jay-Z is not just a rapper, he is also the CEO of one of the most successful rap record labels and Roc Nation, which has since evolved into Roc Nation. He also founded a successful clothing company, Rocawear. Today, Jay-Z is nothing short of a mogul, in every sense of the word.
There is one other product that often gets overshadowed by all of Jay-Z's towering successes, that people do not often think of immediately when they think of all the things that Shaun Carter has contributed to the world. And that is, of course, his audio streaming service, Tidal. Often criticized as one of his riskier business tactics, Tidal has had a difficult time competing with the other subscription-based music streaming giants of the world like Spotify and Apple Music.
Tidal, in its 5 years of existence, has seen its share of ups and downs. For example, when there are already two other music streaming services that have been doing essentially the same thing as Tidal, users were not very interested in using it. But luckily, Jay-Z and his team came up with a solution: they changed the way that Tidal differentiates itself.
An Exclusive Streaming Platform
The first answer to this question was to remove certain artists? albums and songs from other streaming services in hopes that more dedicated fans would jump ship when they realized that they could only stream certain artists on Tidal. This did not prove as successful as they had hoped, however, it seemed as if most people were content sticking with their streaming service of choice that they already had. Tidal also nabbed a few of the artists that refused to give Spotify and Apple Music rights to their music, like Taylor Swift, adding to Tidal?s air as the streaming service of exclusivity.
Furthering that notion, Tidal began offering exclusive releases, live performances, singles, and music videos. In addition to this, they began obtaining the rights to release certain albums a week earlier than all other streaming services. They also live streamed VIP events like listening parties and once in a lifetime performances that couldn't be seen elsewhere. Although they have since discontinued some of these practices, for the most part Tidal still follows this model today. For example, Kanye West's recent opera, Nebuchadnezzar was live streamed as an exclusive on Tidal. If you weren't there for the performance at the Hollywood Bowl in California on November 24th, 2019, Tidal was your only means of watching it.
But does Tidal actually compare well against other music streaming services? In terms of performance, sound quality, selection, customized features, and site/app design - does it stand out? And is it worth the monthly subscription fee? Well, let's take a look and find out once and for all! Who knows, maybe some Spotify or Apple Music users will finally switch over to Tidal today.
Two-Tiered Subscription
First of all, let's take a look at the price. Because the way that Tidal tiers its subscription packages is a little bit different from many of the other services out there. There is the baseline premium subscription to Tidal, which is comparable to what Spotify and Apple Music offer. It costs $9.99 per month. And in exchange, you get standard sound quality, HD music videos, and "expertly curated editorial" playlists made just for you. This basic premium plan also comes with a family package for only $5 more a month, allowing you to add 6 accounts total to it.
Additionally, Tidal also offers a HIFI version of its service for about twice the price of their premium package. For $19.99 per month, users receive lossless High Fidelity sound quality as well as all of the services that come with a premium package. So essentially, Tidal expects some of its subscribers to pay around $20 a month just for better sound quality.
And, hey, this may seem laughable at first, but don't underestimate the niche demographic of true audiophiles around the world. There are plenty of people who value quality audio and will certainly pay $20 a month for it. Plus, Tidal prides itself on being the streaming service that pays the most to artists in royalties; so, if you have the extra cash, it can't hurt to know that your money is going to the artists you spend your time listening to.
What does Tidal offer, though, in exchange for your monthly subscription? Well, they claim to have a library of over 60 million songs and 250,000 HD music videos. That's not bad at all. In fact, as far as the quantity of songs is concerned, Tidal has twice as much music available as Spotify, which reports having over 30 million individual tracks. So maybe there is something to all of this Tidal buzz after all.
By the Artists for the Fans
Another thing Tidal offers that other music streaming services do not is a regularly updated roster of expertly curated playlists. Now, we aren't talking playlists that were thrown together by plugging an algorithm into a computer. No, these are lists that are hand-selected by music journalists, artists, and other professionals who actually know and love music. It adds a certain human touch to Tidal's playlists that you won't really find anywhere else, even furthering the platform's reputation as a streaming service for serious fans and artists.
This paragraph is about how the author thinks Tidal looks appealing so far, but they mention that it has some usability problems. They say that it's good that there are many features and gimmicks, but without a good user experience it doesn't amount to much. They also say that Spotify and Apple Music are just as easy to use as Tidal.
Great Site and App Design
On the homepage of Tidal, for example, you'll find everything you need quickly and easily. Sections are marked clearly with featured artists, albums, and playlists at the top. You'll also find a few lists of current playlists right now. For Christmas and New Year's, there's a special section devoted to holiday playlists and best of the year songs.
Below that, you'll find a few artist spotlight playlists. These playlists, which are called "Now Playing" on Tidal, are based on what fans have been listening to by the artists. Then, you'll find a list of selected new tracks, albums, popular playlists, and featured playlists that only add to the unique Tidal experience.
Plus, Tidal offers a huge selection of up and coming artists in their Tidal Rising section, which makes it much easier than ever to find new music and to stay ahead of the curve on what's next to dominate the music industry. Then, of course, you have a menu from which you can access all of your own playlists, mixes, albums, tracks, and music videos. And last but not least there's an Explore tab that allows you to browse Tidal's massive music library by genre. So whether you're looking for new songs or just want to explore the latest trends in popular music, Tidal has something for everyone.
If you're looking for a music streaming service that offers a more exclusive experience than either Spotify or Apple Music, Tidal is the best option. With both the basic premium membership and the high-quality HIFI membership options, your Tidal experience will be positive.
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