Photo: WENN.com
Jack White has defended Jay-Z's controversial streaming service, Tidal asking critics, 'what's elitist about it?'.
The musician addressed some of the most talked about aspects of Tidal on Third Man Records, including the perception that the service is intended to make rich artists richer and it's higher price than Spotify. White is famously an 'owner' of the service, having been heavily involved in the launch.
Replying to a fan who said that Tidal is elitist, White responded: “What is elitist about it? Who’s speaking for the little guy? Tidal is going to help a lot of artists out. I’m talking about the punk band that has 50k hits on Youtube and doesn’t see a dime."
He added: "Have you heard of Rachelle Garnier? what about the Smoke Fairies? Drakkar Sauna? Pujol? The Gories? Those are just some of the up and coming artists on Third Man that try to make a living in music. And if you stream their songs … they get paid for it. And they get to LIVE and not take second jobs … and make MORE music! I support keeping musicians you love in business.”
White also defended Tidal's price tag ($19.99 a month for lossless streaming vs. $9.99 for Spotify) arguing: "How much did you pay for that last movie you saw at the theater? And how much did that movie cost to make? Don't devalue musicians man, support them. Making records is expensive, believe us, I don't see people saying we should go to the movies for free, or Netflix should be free. that state of music is in flux, be on the side of supporting creativity, not taking from it. this gives you that chance."
