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Jay Z has outdone himself this time with a frankly ludicrous lineup of talent for his new streaming service Tidal.
In the presentation happening in New York this evening, Jay Z brought out a huge cross section of artists. Following an introduction from Roc Nation CIO Vania Schlogel, the following appeared on stage: Beyonce, Arcade Fire's Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, J Cole, Jason Aldean, Daft Punk, Kanye West, Jack White, Madonna, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, deadmau5, Usher joined them on platforms. Calvin Harris and Chris Martin joined remotely.
The assembled group arranged themselves behind a message which read: "We come together before you on this day, March 30, 2015, with one voice in unity, in the hopes that today will be another one of those moments in time. A moment that will forever change the course of music history. For today we announce the launch of Tidal, the first ever artist-owned, global mnusic and entertainment platform."
Alicia Keys acted as host and insisted that everyone would benefit from the launch. “Our goal is simple: We want to create a better service… for musicians and consumers" said Keys. "Our mission goes beyond commerce and technology," Keys said. "Our intent is to preserve music's importance in our lives. It's the world's true universal language." She then decided to quote Friedrich Nietzsche: “Without music, life would be a mistake.”
Below: Watch the trailer for Tidal #TidalForAll
At the ceremony, rather than individual citations, there was an elaborate signing process, a Radiohead soundtrack 'The National Anthem' and Keys described it as "as the beginning of a whole new era." Naturally Madonna decided at one point that she needed to straddle the table as she signed. The only thing that could have possibly made it better had it be if Spotify snubbing Taylor Swift had appeared on stage and they'd started a stream of Rihanna's new album.
Deadmau5 took to Twitter afterwards to offer both his thoughts on the event - and insist on his dedication to the cause.
Yeah. That just happened. Awkward? Maybe. But I do believe in this venture! #tidal
— deadmau5 (@deadmau5) March 30, 2015
There is quite simply no bigger story in music right now. A site that combines Spotify style convenience (the news you could use it on the subway got a cheer in the room) with an enhanced editorial proposition (Tidal claims it has 25 million tracks, 75,000 music videos and curated articles)and artist exclusives (particularly from the likes of Jay Z, Kanye and Jack White) could be a genuine gamechanger.
Initial Internet reaction certainly seemed overwhelmingly positive, with many echoing influential hip-hop authority Okayplayer that other streaming services will follow suit and offer lossless streaming.
The primary difference between Spotify and Tidal is that users can only listen through subscription models, starting at £9.99 and going up to lossless FLAC audio for £19.99. Although as one one Twitter critic pointed out Tidal faces stiff competition: "FINALLY an alternative to Spotify, SoundCloud, Rdio, Pandora, Pono Music, YouTube, Deezer, Simfy, Songza, Grooveshark, Upbeat & Whyd." Quite where new and emerging artists rather than megastars fit into the model is also a question that needs answering.
Speaking after the event to Billboard, Jay Z said: “We didn’t like the direction music was going and thought maybe we could get in and strike an honest blow and if, you know, the very least we did was make people wake up and try to improve the free vs. paid system, and promote fair trade, then it would be a win for us anyway,” he explained.
“People are not respecting the music, and [are] devaluing it and devaluing what it really means,” Jay Z explained. “People really feel like music is free, but will pay $6 for water. You can drink water free out of the tap, and it’s good water. But they’re OK paying for it. It’s just the mind-set right now.”
As well as suggesting that Tidal would hopefully benefit the 'content creators' who can't top up their income by simply going on tour, Jay Z also hope the service might inspire more creative risks.“Artists come here and start making songs 18 minutes long, or whatever. I know this is going to sound crazy, but maybe they start attempting to make a “Like a Rolling Stone,” you know, a song that doesn’t have a recognizable hook, but is still considered one of the greatest songs of all time, the freedom that this platform will allow art to flourish here.”
