Without a doubt, Tidal is one of the most competitive streaming services in the game. Some of the pros of using are that you get exclusive albums, videos and concert details from the artists that serve on the executive board. On the flip side, the $20 per month plan for “higher quality audio files” pushes listeners to stick with cheaper plans available on services such as Spotify, Apple and even Pandora.
Late June of last year, reports surfaced that Apple Music was going to buy out Tidal. No rumors were confirmed or denied until Jimmy Iovine put an end to those rumors in an interview with Buzzfeed News.
However, numbers don’t lie. As of May 2016, Tidal had 4.2 million subscribers while Apple had 13 million and Spotify had 30 million. With such a star studded support team, their numbers should be much higher.
Photo: WSJ
It seems like Sprint agreed wholeheartedly.
On Monday, Sprint announced their 33 percent stake in the streaming service while explaining this partnership will provide Sprint’s 45 million customers with “unlimited access” to exclusive artist content.
"Sprint shares our view of revolutionizing the creative industry to allow artists to connect directly with their fans and reach their fullest, shared potential," Jay Z stated in a press release. "[Sprint CEO] Marcelo [Claure] understood our goal right away and together we are excited to bring Sprint's 45 million customers an unmatched entertainment experience."
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure followed up with a statement saying, "Jay saw not only a business need, but a cultural one, and put his heart and grit into building TIDAL into a world-class music streaming platform that is unrivaled in quality and content."
More news on exclusive offers and upcoming promotions from Sprint and TIDAL will be unveiled soon. However, preexisting Tidal subscription will experience no change in their service.
Womp.