Tidal music service expected to relaunch with exclusives that could hurt Apple's Beats Music

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited April 2015
Tidal, a music streaming service recently bought by rapper Jay-Z, is due to relaunch later today and will allegedly be backed by artist exclusives that could threaten Apple's planned rebranding of Beats Music.




Aat a press conference scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern, Jay-Z is expected to only reveal the new incarnation of Tidal but announce "first window" exclusives from artists like Daft Punk, Madonna, and Kanye West, according to TechCrunch. The music should eventually come to rival services such as Beats and Spotify, just at a later date.

Jay-Z, also known as Shawn Carter, is best known as a musician, but his company, Roc Nation, handles a variety of services for musicians including publishing and management. The pull of Carter's reputation and his Roc Nation connections may also be helped by more artist-friendly terms.

Monday's report said that Tidal may be paying musicians up to twice as much as competing options. Musicians have complained that services like Spotify and Pandora pay too little in comparison to downloads, and frequently aren't enough to sustain a career without regular touring and other sources of income.

Tidal presently offers standard and high-quality streaming at costs of $10 or $20 per month, respectively. Earlier this month, Carter successfully bid $54 million to take over the service.

Apple is believed to be rebranding Beats Music under the watch of Nine Inch Nails frontman and Beats executive Trent Reznor. The new service may debut alongside an app for iOS 8.4, incorporating a redesigned interface and a new name.

Like Tidal, though, Apple is reportedly trying to secure content exclusives, and the company could run into trouble if a number of artists have already signed deals with other parties.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33

    Apple has the clout and brand cachet. And as far as I'm concerned he can keep Kanye and Madonna, I wouldn't want their crap on my streaming service (Not necessarily a fan of Daft Punk but I don't have anything against them either).

  • Reply 2 of 33
    Jay-Z has already done deals with Samsung. Something tells me that's his hidden exit strategy for this service.
  • Reply 3 of 33
    wurm5150wurm5150 Posts: 763member
    Unless they secured exclusives from all artists sure it'll hurt Beats.. There are plenty of artists out there. I'm sure Beats/Apple has exclusives already signed or planned. Plus having the kind money Apple has and music industry connected people like Iovine and Dre I think gives them more advantage in securing more than deals.
  • Reply 4 of 33
    It's all marketing hype. It's just 16-bit CD quality audio on TIDAL. Apple needs to go 24-bit with Beats. Qobuz already been doing this for ages.
  • Reply 5 of 33

    Funny how after Jay-Z and that failed union with Samsung, Beyonce went and did an exclusive on iTunes and absolutely crushed Jay-Z for sales/downloads.

     

    She knows where the money is.

  • Reply 6 of 33
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Kanye's star is fading with his antics.

    Madonna, hard to say how many Madonna fans will flood the service.

    Daft Punk is solid but probably a bit niche.

    What's going to likely propel Beats above all other offerings save for Spotify will be its integration into the OS. I'm waiting for access to Beats music in apps like iTunes, Apple TV and Algoriddim's Djay and more.

    Those that want to jump into the music streaming arena today are much like those that thought opening a music store back when iTunes started taking off. If your heart and dollars aren't in it probably a good idea to go elsewhere.
  • Reply 7 of 33
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post

     

    Funny how after Jay-Z and that failed union with Samsung, Beyonce went and did an exclusive on iTunes and absolutely crushed Jay-Z for sales/downloads.

     

    She knows where the money is.




    Crushed him? I daresay he manages most or all of that income for his wife Beyoncé.

  • Reply 8 of 33
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,949member
    Threatens? Once Apple re-launches Beats, which will come pre-loaded on every device they sell and integrated with all the other Appley goodness, Tidal will be just another service. Apple's huge worldwide user base and iTunes music clout will leave Tidal with leftovers for exclusive deals. Enjoy your moment Jayzee.
  • Reply 9 of 33
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member

    Crushed him? I daresay he manages most or all of that income for his wife Beyoncé.

    sog35 wrote: »
    LOLOLLLOOLL.  Nope.

    Beyonce makes significantly more money than Jay-Z

    JayZ is Beyonce's manager as Spam suggested. Blue was the game-changer.
  • Reply 10 of 33
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    in name only.  Beyonce makes more $$$ than JayZ




    They're married. I doubt either one is splitting hairs over who makes more.

  • Reply 11 of 33
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    Beyonce made $120 million in 2014.  JayZ made $60 million

     

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2014/06/30/beyonce-knowles-tops-the-forbes-celebrity-100-list/




    Again, they're married. What does it matter when they both get the money?

  • Reply 12 of 33
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 wrote: »
    in name only.  Beyonce makes more $$$ than JayZ
    Really? You sure of that? JayZ is involved with far more than just his music and reported to be worth over half a $Billion. Last year may have been the very first where she technically "out-earned" him.
  • Reply 13 of 33
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member

    this just in! rumored service plans may hurt apple's rumored service plans!

  • Reply 14 of 33
    mistergsfmistergsf Posts: 241member
    There's going to be a place for TIDAL. As much as I love Apple, I've been subscribing to TIDAL for two months, even before I knew about Jay-Z's ownership. All I can say is it sounds amazing. I've always been an audiophile but must admit that with the advent of the iPod/iTunes/digital downloads, I kind of settled in to the convenience of digital music.

    I've even started listening to vinyl again and and using my hi-fi system to it's potential. I currently have TIDAL playing from my Mac to my DAC and through my stereo components. I will still carry my iPod when I want all my music with me; nothing can beat the convenience of that.

    I really hope that Apple considers offering lossless streaming. The average consumer is not gonna care, I know. But for those of us who have high end equipment and strive to get the best sound possible, I really hope Beats a has special plan for lossless streaming. If it happens, I'll switch. But until then, I'm sticking with TIDAL. It's not perfect and it's expensive, but for me, it's worth it.
  • Reply 15 of 33
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    LOLLOLLOLOLOLLLOLL.

     

    This will fail so fast.

     

    Jay-Z getting so desperate in trying to make more money that his wife. LOL.

     

    What next Jay?  Are you going to make a smartphone?  The Z-Phone?

     

    Z-Headphones?  lol.


    He's hardly desperate as you put it. In addition to his music ventures here's a list of the various sports figures he represents:

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roc_Nation_Sports

     

    Please do a little research before claiming he's "Desperate".

  • Reply 16 of 33
    mistergsfmistergsf Posts: 241member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ontheinside View Post



    It's all marketing hype. It's just 16-bit CD quality audio on TIDAL. Apple needs to go 24-bit with Beats. Qobuz already been doing this for ages.



    But 16-bit CD quality is still sounds better than 260 or 320.  If Apple goes 24-bit though, I'm in!  Doesn't Qobuz offer 24-bit downloads in addition to their streaming? 

  • Reply 17 of 33
    mistergsfmistergsf Posts: 241member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    i can understand that.  

     

    For me its about Bluray+lossless audio.  None of the streaming media (netflix, itunes, ect) offers lossless audio and it sucks.  I know I'm part of the .05% that want it but still it sucks for me.


     

    I hear ya.  We have a 5.1 home theater but all we've been watching lately is from iTunes or Netflix.  They can't match Blu-ray + lossless audio. Problem is new releases come to streaming first before you can get the blu-ray.  It takes longer for Netflix to get the blu-rays too.  Most times, I want to see the movie right away so we settle for iTunes.

  • Reply 18 of 33
    9secondko9secondko Posts: 929member
    lol @ jay z.

    Dude is even a boxing promoter now.
  • Reply 19 of 33
    I read the title then the artists then chuckled at the silly title. I have never liked Kanye. Madonna no longer worthy of my money. Daft Punk I have not listened to. So, when Jay Z has at least one artists I cannot live without, i will not be moving my music listening time from my iPhone and iTunes Radio. This means, good luck Z and keep on living the dream. You have made history!!!!!
  • Reply 20 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mistergsf View Post

     



    But 16-bit CD quality is still sounds better than 260 or 320.  If Apple goes 24-bit though, I'm in!  Doesn't Qobuz offer 24-bit downloads in addition to their streaming?


    I think Apple should let buyers have the choice of downloading regular songs (for those who don't care or can't tell the difference) or pay a little more for 24-bit high res songs. I would be willing to repurchase all the songs I currently have if they came out with 24 bit songs.

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