Photo: WENN
Lily Allen has spoken out against Jay Z's new streaming service Tidal - claiming that it will force people back to piracy sites and that up and coming artists will suffer.
Last week, Tidal made headlines when it was launched by an all-star cast that included the likes of 'owners' Jay Z, Beyonce, Jack White, Daft Punk, Kanye West, Deadmau5, Arcade Fire, Chris Martin and more.
The service then came under fire from critics for it's pricing strategy, with many arguing that it tends to favour more major artists. Now, Lily Allen has waded into the argument.
"I love Jay Z so much, but TIDAL is [so] expensive compared to other perfectly good streaming services," she wrote on Twitter. "He’s taken the biggest artists & made them exclusive to TIDAL... people are going to swarm back to pirate sites in droves sending traffic to torrent sites."
She went on: "Up and coming artists are going to suffer as a result. Maybe I’m missing something, and really it’s amazing and will change everything for the better."
Speaking of rival Spotify, she said it "is not the enemy of the artist", continueing "I don’t think music should be free, at all. But I’m afraid that we have to adapt as the world and technology advances... I care about the future of music, I care not for the current business structure."
Jay Z recently went on record to say that Tidal is not a direct rival for Spotify, rather than an attempt to "strike an honest blow" in favour of artists and music fans.
Asked about this view that this is a service for "music's 1%" by Billboard, Vania Schlogel, Tidal's chief investment officer and chief industry liaison said: "I would almost say it’s the reverse of that".
"OK, these are established artists who care enough about the sustainability of the industry, stepping out on a limb and doing this," he continued. "Of course there are going to be people who are cynical. But look, at the end of the day, if any established artist goes out and gets an endorsement deal -- no one’s gonna criticize them for that because that’s how they make money. But if an established artist goes out and steps outside of the box and says, 'I’m trying something different,”' that invites criticism."
He added: "There is some bravery for what these artists are trying to do. Its not to fill their own pockets, it’s to create a sustainable industry."
Watch footage of the launch below
Since its launch, Tidal has hosted exclusive releases from the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce and Daft Punk. Meanwhile, Jay Z has pulled his debut album Reasonable Doubt from Spotify - which many think could be to push people towards Tidal.
