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Jay Z talks Tidal's pay-structure, lack of free tier, and how indie artists benefit

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I think there's room for something like Tidal, if they're smart about original content. High-fidelity audio isn't going to sell for most people, since they literally don't have the equipment necessary to notice the difference. The average customer would be paying for a placebo effect.

But if they can keep a consistent stream of high-quality exclusive content from the partnered artists - I think they'll do just fine. Album debuts, video content, documentaries, remastered stuff - that can appeal to the hardcore audience.

In a certain way, I think of Tidal as the digital answer to the vinyl resurgence. It's a premium product for the hardcore fanbase.

Does the hardcore fanbase even care about streaming services?
 
That's why you create Tidal. To make them care. Why would they adopt a streaming service that doesn't cater to them?

That's fair, but I'm not sure creating a niche streaming service aimed at hardcore fans will do much to disrupt the standards of the streaming music industry.
 
That's fair, but I'm not sure creating a niche streaming service aimed at hardcore fans will do much to disrupt the standards of the streaming music industry.

I agree that Jay Z (and really everyone involved) has really overstated how "revolutionary" Tidal will be - but I still think it can be financially successful, since it's filling an unsatisfied niche.
 

Oersted

Member
I agree that Jay Z (and really everyone involved) has really overstated how "revolutionary" Tidal will be - but I still think it can be financially successful, since it's filling an unsatisfied niche.

Losless streaming is a very specific niche and gets already served. Funny enough, lossless playback is only supported on LG, Sony, Chrome, iOS. Samsung, HTC or Windows Phone? Out of luck.
 

mr2xxx

Banned
Thing that pisses me off is that they charge you an extra $10 for the hi-def quality. The one advantage that would actually matter to the consumer yet you mess that up.
 

XBP

Member
Thing that pisses me off is that they charge you an extra $10 for the hi-def quality. The one advantage that would actually matter to the consumer yet you mess that up.

Given that it would cost them more bandwidth to serve that content I dont really see a huge problem with that price. 14.99 would've been a better price but people who actually care about high quality audio would spend that extra 10$/month without thinking.
 

mr2xxx

Banned
Given that it would cost them more bandwidth to serve that content I dont really see a huge problem with that price. 14.99 would've been a better price but people who actually care about high quality audio would spend that extra 10$/month without thinking.

Honestly how much is that extra bandwith? Besides you have a lower streaming setting as the default and 99% of people will never bother changing it.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Jay stays hopping on bandwagons and acting like he invented them. Oh, so unknown artists will be able to have their music heard through Tidal, maybe cosigned by entrenched artists? Hello, Jay-Z, I know you never been on MySpace, but I would have thought you were familiar with THE ENTIRETY OF THE INTERNET.

And then this lunacy from Vania shows how utterly and completely out of touch the wealthy are. "The data says that students don't really care about paying for streaming. I actually don't believe that, necessarily — I think that this demographic here, sitting in the room, cares very deeply about music."

"We're ignoring data, because we think broke people are going to pay for our service because, they like, love music. We're going to pretend the rest of the world just discovered the internet yesterday too. Bandcamp? Soundcloud? YouTube? Spotify? What are those again? It's all very ethereal."
 

TxdoHawk

Member
The problem with the current streaming royalty model is that it benefits the wildly successful through sheer volume, but doesn't really give the small fish much beyond crumbs.

So, instead of trying to squeeze more blood from the stones of stingy consumers, what about a service where successful artists subsidize struggling ones? Take a chunk of royalty change from established, popular acts and throw that money to the next generation.
 

xenist

Member
If five people pay and ten consume the music the artist starts at -5?

That's some MPAA/RIAA style math, buddy.
 

XBP

Member
Honestly how much is that extra bandwith? Besides you have a lower streaming setting as the default and 99% of people will never bother changing it.

Around 3-4 times the bandwidth of what spotify would use on its highest audio quality settings.The hifi tier is meant for people who want higher audio quality. If anyone wants a lower streaming setting, they can choose their second tier which works exactly like spotify,google all access etc. and provides similar audio quality.
 

subrock

Member
So if Tidal costs more than twice Spotify, and the royalties are better, then artists make more that twice as much from Tidal, right?
 

XBP

Member
So if Tidal costs more than twice Spotify, and the royalties are better, then artists make more that twice as much from Tidal, right?

One of its tiers costs more than spotify. The second one is exactly like spotify premium, google all access, beats music etc.
 
Losless streaming is a very specific niche and gets already served. Funny enough, lossless playback is only supported on LG, Sony, Chrome, iOS. Samsung, HTC or Windows Phone? Out of luck.

Which is why I think if they put a decent effort into exclusive content, they'll convince more hardcore music enthusiasts to invest the $20 monthly fee.
 

Oersted

Member
Which is why I think if they put a decent effort into exclusive content, they'll convince more hardcore music enthusiasts to invest the $20 monthly fee.

Its obvious that tidal and Beats will snag up exclusives, which, well, worries me. Fragmented music libraries will be a thing.
 
Its obvious that tidal and Beats will snag up exclusives, which, well, worries me. Fragmented music libraries will be a thing.

I highly doubt they'll have exclusive artists. I could see timed exclusivity for album releases - but zero chance that entire artists will only arrive on a single service (Taylor Swift excluded).

But exclusive video content, maybe acoustic sets, alternate mixes - the stuff that enthusiasts would pay money to access.. I totally see that as a part of Tidal's future.
 

Oersted

Member
I highly doubt they'll have exclusive artists. I could see timed exclusivity for album releases - but zero chance that entire artists will only arrive on a single service (Taylor Swift excluded).

But exclusive video content, maybe acoustic sets, alternate mixes - the stuff that enthusiasts would pay money to access.. I totally see that as a part of Tidal's future.

Never said exclusive artists. I said exclusives as in songs, videos and albums. Which yes, is bad. Want Eminem? On Tidal pretty much out of luck. Want the new Beyonce video and got a Google subscribtion? Well, you should have subscribed to tidal. Add in copyrights and service availability varying from country to country and you got a clusterfuck.

This is causing more harm than good.
 

KissVibes

Banned
Does Tidal have Taylor Swift? Does it have Vanna? Can I add my own songs to playlists on the PC and have the Android and iPhone apps pull in those songs without issue like on Spotify?
 
Never said exclusive artists. I said exclusives as in songs, videos and albums. Which yes, is bad. Want Eminem? On Tidal pretty much out of luck. Want the new Beyonce video and got a Google subscribtion? Well, you should have subscribed to tidal. Add in copyrights and service availability varying from country to country and you got a clusterfuck.

This is causing more harm than good.

I don't see exclusive songs being anything more than B-sides or demos - akin to what already exists in retailer exclusives for CDs.

The value of music videos has already plummeted. They're not a revenue stream, and thus it's a very low-effort industry nowadays. If Tidal started pumping money back into the industry.. Can't say I wouldn't mind.

Netflix seems to have handled exclusive streaming content without it becoming a huge headache. Don't see it being that big of a problem.
 

SpacLock

Member
As a [p word] in the past, I've changed my ways and have been a huge Spotify supporter since I've been able subscribe. I don't know a ton about the business structure of Spotify, but I'd like to see how Jay-Z's venture will be able to pay artists more and give discounts to certain people while offering the same service and comparable software as Spotify.

Edit: Since I've dropped the P word, I'll say that I've been paying for a premium membership to Spotify since the very day it was available in the United States.
 

Oersted

Member
I don't see exclusive songs being anything more than B-sides or demos - akin to what already exists in retailer exclusives for CDs.

The value of music videos has already plummeted. They're not a revenue stream, and thus it's a very low-effort industry nowadays. If Tidal started pumping money back into the industry.. Can't say I wouldn't mind.

Netflix seems to have handled exclusive streaming content without it becoming a huge headache. Don't see it being that big of a problem.

Retailer exclusive is already a headache, just go into the Ness Amiibo thread on gaming side. And this isn't just a bought CD or figure, its subscribing to multiple music streams. Costs that gonna add up.

Netflix has the advantage to dominate the market, but even there it gets tricky. Want House of Cards overseas? Its likely that another snatched up the rights before Netflix released there, so no House of Cards on Netflix. Want Empire? Exclusive on Hulu. Want Downtown Abbey? Exclusively on Prime.

While the big ones will profit from the exclusive deals, consumers and smaller artists/series etc will suffer.
 

Jburton

Banned
Music streaming service run by musicians?

Nope!


This thing flops, any chance it had is dead with the likes of JayZ behind it.


There us space for premium quality music delivery, just not when people more interested in serving themselves are behind it.
 
Shit, I have friends asking if they should switch because of the artists. >.>
They all use iPod headphones or Beats, so I told them to stick to Spotify...
 

Sobriquet

Member
Shit, I have friends asking if they should switch because of the artists. >.>
They all use iPod headphones or Beats, so I told them to stick to Spotify...

It's the same price as Spotify Premium if they don't want/need lossless. I have no idea how the catalogues compare, but I imagine that Spotify's is significantly larger.
 

neorej

ERMYGERD!
It will be a matter of time before artists will come out and say "look, customers are paying $20 a month for this, and I'm only seeing $0,0014 per stream. That's not fair. That's basically slavery. We're entitled to more money.".

No matter how high you make the monthly fee, as long as a majority of the income is hoarded by recordlabels because of reasons, artists will never be satisfied with the cut they're getting. Problem is; they should take it up with their manager for setting up such a shitty deal and with the label and demand full insight in as to what exactly it is the label does that warrants such a big chunk of a revenue stream that essentially encompasses "select tracks, hit upload, fill out form, done."
 

Enco

Member
Boohoo. Those poor artists.

Let me pay a ridiculous amount just so they get more money.

Yea no thanks.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
If the artists have an issue with not getting paid enough by Spotify, they shouldn't have signed contracts that presumably laid out shitty royalties from streaming. Or renegotiate them to get a bette return from the labels.

I assume Spotify is still paying the labels for the free streamers, and they are only just making money. So I don't think Spotify is the bad guy here - the labels will be the only ones making any money
 

Prine

Banned
He really seems out of his depth, trying to position himself as noble fighter knowing full well this is greed and control.

A lot of talk about musicians but very little about the users. This will bomb, delaying release of music by a week isnt added value.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Jay stays hopping on bandwagons and acting like he invented them. Oh, so unknown artists will be able to have their music heard through Tidal, maybe cosigned by entrenched artists? Hello, Jay-Z, I know you never been on MySpace, but I would have thought you were familiar with THE ENTIRETY OF THE INTERNET.

And then this lunacy from Vania shows how utterly and completely out of touch the wealthy are. "The data says that students don't really care about paying for streaming. I actually don't believe that, necessarily — I think that this demographic here, sitting in the room, cares very deeply about music."

"We're ignoring data, because we think broke people are going to pay for our service because, they like, love music. We're going to pretend the rest of the world just discovered the internet yesterday too. Bandcamp? Soundcloud? YouTube? Spotify? What are those again? It's all very ethereal."

I agree on your ignoring data point. But students did pay for music, back in the days when it was physical. Sure for every CD or tape that you sold a bunch of blank tapes would get recorded, but it was still money paid. And students are at the age where you are possibly most passionate about music and discovering what you like. So the demand is clearly there. The problem is that if you're offered something for free why would you choose to pay - especially as a student when you have lots of other priorities and little money.
 

bort

Member
So he went from saying water is free to water is $6?


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/business/media/jay-z-reveals-plans-for-tidal-a-streaming-music-service.html?_r=1

“The challenge is to get everyone to respect music again, to recognize its value,” said Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. “Water is free. Music is $6 but no one wants to pay for music. You should drink free water from the tap — it’s a beautiful thing. And if you want to hear the most beautiful song, then support the artist.”
 

Cindres

Vied for a tag related to cocks, so here it is.
I'm not an artist and I don't care what kind of private jet they ultra rich musicians have but I do kind of care that the artists lower on the totem pole aren't being paid a sustainable amount.

How much were these people really earning before streaming took off anyway? Album sales get a nice healthy cut from the label (assuming that money goes to producer, etc.) and if they're low on the ladder then they probably weren't selling/making much money off albums anyway.

They are getting paid. The artists they used to sell me the sob story they don't make enough had a collective net worth of over 2 billion.

Yeah it's goddamn ridiculous, it's only the artists earning stupid money already that seem to be complaining about these services, the same ones who have always complained. One day piracy is killing the industry - fair enough, that's people genuinely not paying for it and the concern is valid, now people are paying and THAT's what's killing it now? Streaming is even easier than pirating, it's all right there, instantly. I pay my fee for Google and I'll be damned if I'm taking all this schpiel that I'm as bad as just another pirate.
 

rambis

Banned
That is because they weren't complaining about being ripped off and how unfair their business was. The artists introduced money into the equation by whining about money.
Yes but you also have to consider the fact that the Tim Cooks and such are usually on the side of doing the the ripping off than receiving.

You can oppose this tidal initiave but I don't see what there is to gain by pretending the music industry as-is is honkey dorey for the artists.
 

Juz

Member
aifkng9.png


This is gonna flop so hard.
 

rambis

Banned
If the artists have an issue with not getting paid enough by Spotify, they shouldn't have signed contracts that presumably laid out shitty royalties from streaming. Or renegotiate them to get a bette return from the labels.

I assume Spotify is still paying the labels for the free streamers, and they are only just making money. So I don't think Spotify is the bad guy here - the labels will be the only ones making any money
You say this like they always get a say in what happens with their music. Spotify a lot of the times doesn't even have to engage an artist to use their music.

The music industry has a long reaching system in place that largely forces artists who can't afford to support their own music at significant disadvantages. Its not as easy to just not sign a contract when every label has the corrupt practices. I applaud moves like this to take back power from corporations.

I know its hard to care about people who make more money than you but that doesn't mean that they aren't getting screwed.
 

Oppo

Member
kinda funny to hear them argue against "radio" as a biz model

the sound quality argument is off since people who care about that will be doing high bitrate FLAC or CD
 
Nobody is going to pay that amount when Tidal doesn't have as good as a catalogue as Spotify + Spotify is cheaper. So much of the mastering of music today is so bad that being lossless isn't that beneficial and for the most part 320kbps is fine. There is some music/genres I listen to where there's an outright obvious difference but I own physical/digital media I purchased straight from their sites and don't use Spotify for.

The only thing TIDAL has going for it is that at least their app isn't absolute shit like Spotify's that has become worse and worse. Every update removes features instead of adding any even. Shit, who the fuck removes CTRL+F to search a song in a playlist or whatever? That shit is so basic, fuck you Spotify (even though I kind of love you)
 
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