Tidal (service)

Branching off from WiMP, which was launched in Norway in 2010 and later available in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Poland, Aspiro launched the Tidal brand in the UK, the US, and Canada on October 28, 2014. The launch was supported by Sonos and 15 other home audio manufacturers as integration partners.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11192375/Tidal-launches-lossless-music-streaming-in-UK-and-US.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11192375/Tidal-launches-lossless-music-streaming-in-UK-and-US.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Tidal launches lossless music streaming in UK and US|work=The Telegraph|date=October 28, 2014|access-date=March 23, 2015}}{{cbignore}} In January 2015, Tidal launched in five more European countries: Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Aspiro was purchased by Project Panther Bidco Ltd. (controlled by American rapper and businessman Jay-Z) for SEK 466 million (USD $56.2 million) in January 2015.{{cite news|date=March 13, 2015|title=Jay Z Buys the Music Streaming Firm, Aspiro|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/14/business/media/jay-z-buys-the-music-streaming-firm-aspiro.html|access-date=March 23, 2015}}{{cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=March 30, 2015 |title=Tidal launch livestream: Watch Jay Z relaunching high fidelity music streaming service |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tidal-launch-livestream-watch-jay-z-relaunching-high-fidelity-music-streaming-service-1494210 |access-date=March 30, 2015 |work=International Business Times}} Before the acquisition of Aspiro, Jay-Z stated in an interview with Billboard that he was willing to partner with other streaming services to carry out his vision. "We talked to every single service and we explored all the options," he said, "But at the end of the day, we figured if we're going to shape this thing the way we see it, then we need to have independence. And that became a better proposition for us, not an easier one, mind you," he concluded.{{cite web|url=http://www.gpb.org/news/2015/04/01/jay-zs-music-service-tidal-arrives-splash-and-questions-follow|title=Jay Z's Music Service, Tidal, Arrives With A Splash, And Questions Follow|last=Sanders|first=Sam|date=April 1, 2015|publisher=Georgia Public Broadcasting|access-date=April 1, 2015|archive-date=August 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815170804/http://www.gpb.org/news/2015/04/01/jay-zs-music-service-tidal-arrives-splash-and-questions-follow|url-status=dead}}

On April 16, 2015, it came to public attention that Tidal was closing its original Aspiro offices in Stockholm, terminating the employment for all Swedish employees and the CEO, Andy Chen.{{cite web|url=http://breakit.se/artikel/388/uppgifter-musikbolaget-tidal-sparkar-sina-anstallda-i-sverige|title=Uppgifter: Musikbolaget Tidal sparkar sina anställda i Sverige|publisher=Breakit|date=April 16, 2015|access-date=April 16, 2015}} The company refused to comment on closing the offices but confirmed that Andy Chen had been replaced as CEO by Peter Tonstad.{{cite web|url=http://breakit.se/artikel/392/har-ar-tidals-uttalande-ord-for-ord|title=Här är Tidals uttalande ord för ord|publisher=Breakit|date=April 16, 2015|access-date=April 16, 2015}} In September 2015, Tidal began selling digital downloads and CDs.{{cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/ps1y01/tidal-is-selling-prince-cds-and-they-re-not-cheap |title=Tidal Is Selling Prince CDs and They're Not Cheap |publisher=BET |date=September 15, 2015 |access-date=October 13, 2020}} In December 2015, Tidal appointed Jeff Toig as CEO of the company. Toig left the company in March 2017.{{cite web|title = Tidal appoints former SoundCloud exec as new CEO, its third in eight months|url = https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/2/9834042/tidal-ceo-soundcloud-executive-jeff-toig|website = The Verge|date = December 2, 2015|access-date = December 2, 2015}} Richard Sanders was announced as CEO in August 2017.{{cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7890271/tidal-hires-new-ceo-is-the-fourth-time-a-charm|title=Tidal Hires New CEO: Is The Fourth Time a Charm?|first=Dawn|last=Chmielewski|date=August 7, 2017|magazine=Billboard}}

In January 2017, the company announced a partnership with British company Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) which they claim delivers master-quality recordings at typically 96 kHz / 24-bit with the highest possible resolution to its HiFi subscribers. Tidal is the only streaming company to offer MQA.{{Cite web|title=Tidal becomes first streaming service to offer MQA music|date=January 5, 2017 |url=https://musically.com/2017/01/05/tidal-becomes-first-streaming-service-to-offer-mqa-music/|access-date=2021-03-09}} MQA is a three part process applied to digital audio music recordings consisting of: 1) modifying and controlling the end to end digital filter response; 2) preparing the high-quality audio for transfer to a smartphone or audio device using a lossy audio compression format; and 3) decompressing the recording for playback.{{cite web|title= MQA: Questions and Answers Some Real-World Comparisons|url=https://www.stereophile.com/content/mqa-questions-and-answers-some-real-world-comparisons|website=Stereophile.com|date=11 August 2016|publisher=Stereophile|access-date=11 August 2016|archive-date=14 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814182806/http://www.stereophile.com/content/mqa-questions-and-answers-some-real-world-comparisons|url-status=live}} On January 23, 2017, US mobile carrier Sprint announced that they were buying a 33 percent stake in Tidal,{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/23/14356184/sprint-acquires-tidal-streaming-service-exclusive-content |title=Sprint just bought 33 percent of Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service |last= Vincent |first= James |date=January 23, 2017 |website=The Verge |access-date=January 23, 2017}} and it was reported that Sprint would offer exclusive content to Sprint customers.{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/23/jay-zs-music-streaming-service-tidal-sells-33-stake-to-sprint/|title=Jay Z's music-streaming service Tidal sells 33% stake to Sprint|website=VentureBeat|date=January 23, 2017|access-date=January 23, 2017}} In September 2017, Tidal partnered with Mercedes-Benz's web portal app.{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/05/mercedes-benz-is-giving-all-its-customers-a-year-of-tidal-hifi/ |title=Mercedes-Benz is giving all its customers a year of Tidal HiFi |last=LeFebvre |first=Rob |date=September 5, 2017 |website=Endgadget |access-date=May 13, 2019}} American rapper Nicki Minaj starred in a commercial promoting the Mercedes partnership.{{cite web |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2018/03/nicki-minaj-mercedes-benz-commercial/ |title=Nicki Minaj Appears in New Mercedes-Benz Commercial |last=Saponara |first=Michael |date=March 29, 2018 |work=XXL |access-date=May 13, 2019}} The catalog available in MQA on Tidal currently comprises certain albums and singles from Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, its affiliates and certain independent distributors, including AvidPlay service provided by Avid Technology.{{cite web|url=https://www.avid.com/products/avid-link/avidplay-music-distribution|title=Music Distribution Made Seamless – Get Started – AvidPlay|website=Avid Technology|access-date=2020-12-05}} Since November 2020, the largest part of the MQA catalog available on Tidal is that of Warner Music Group and its affiliates, which was made available as part of a new deal with MQA and Warner Music Group itself.{{cite web|url=https://www.mqa.co.uk/newsroom/news/tidal-masters-adds-millions-of-master-quality-tracks|title=TIDAL adds millions of MQA tracks, offering extensive catalogue of highest quality streaming audio|date=2020-11-12|website=MQA Limited|access-date=2020-12-05}} In the past, Sony Music also offered certain albums and singles from their catalog in MQA on Tidal, but their quality were later reduced; exceptions include Beyoncé's albums Lemonade and Homecoming: The Live Album, both released by Parkwood Entertainment and distributed by Sony Music's label Columbia Records (likely most possible reason of these exceptions is Tidal's ownership – Jay-Z is Beyoncé's husband).

In 2017, Tidal announced a series of podcasts to launch the same year.{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/20/tidal-s-on-air-podcast-network-features-five-exclusive-shows/ |title=Tidal's 'On Air' podcast network features five exclusive shows |last=Tarantola |first=Andrew |date=June 20, 2017 |website=Endgadget |access-date=December 18, 2018}} American rappers Fat Joe and Joey Badass hosted "Coca Vision" and "47 Minutes" respectively.{{cite web |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/fat-joe-sits-down-with-dj-premier-in-coca-vision-exclusively-on-tidal-new-video.43611.html |title=Fat Joe Sits Down With DJ Premier In 'Coca Vision,' Exclusively On Tidal |last=HNHH Staff |date=April 24, 2018 |website=Hot New Hip Hop |access-date=December 18, 2018}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8093401/joey-badass-podcast-tidal |title=Joey Bada$$ Teams Up With Tidal for '47 Minutes' Podcast |last=George |first=Rachel |date=January 9, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 18, 2018}}

In July 2019, Tidal expanded their credits feature and launched interactive official music credits on the platform, allowing user to click on musicians and other contributors.{{Cite web|title=Tidal Rolls Out Interactive Credits to Highlight Roles of Songwriters, Producers, Engineers & Musicians|date=July 2, 2019|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tidal-rolls-out-interactive-credits-to-highlight-roles-of-songwriters-producers-engineers-musicians/}}{{Cite web|title=Tidal Credits|url=https://tidal.com/credits}} These credits are supplied by the labels and artists direct to Tidal.{{Cite web|title=TIDAL Launches Enhanced Credits Feature To Spotlight All The Individuals Creating Music|url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tidal-launches-enhanced-credits-feature-to-spotlight-all-the-individuals-creating-music-1028326145}}

In 2020, Tidal launched its "My Rewind" feature, which is available on the 1st of December every year alongside a curated "Best of" series, which allows users to view a compilation of data about their activity on the platform over the preceding yea and allows them to share this on social media in a similar vein to Spotify Wrapped.{{cite web |last1=Rayome |first1=Alison DeNisco |last2=Aguilar |first2=Nelson |title=No Spotify? Get your Wrapped year in review on Apple Music, YouTube Music or Tidal |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/no-spotify-get-your-wrapped-year-in-review-on-youtube-music-apple-music-or-tidal/ |website=CNET |access-date=12 April 2025}}

In March 2021, it was announced that financial technology company Square, Inc. had reached an agreement to acquire majority ownership of Tidal. Square would pay $297 million in cash and stock for Tidal, and Jay-Z would have a board position. Jay-Z and other artists who own stock in Tidal would remain stakeholders.{{cite web|agency=Associated Press|date=4 March 2021|title=Square, Inc. to buy majority of Tidal and put Jay-Z on board|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/square-buy-majority-tidal-put-jay-board-76248384|access-date=4 March 2021|publisher=ABC News / The Associated Press}}{{Cite web|last=Vincent|first=James|date=2021-03-04|title=Jack Dorsey's Block, Inc. is buying a majority stake in Jay-Z's streaming service Tidal|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/4/22313108/square-inc-tidal-majority-stake-jack-dorsey-jay-z|access-date=2021-03-09|website=The Verge|language=en}}

In November 2021, Tidal introduced a free tier for the first time, though exclusively for the United States.{{cite web |last1=Welch |first1=Chris |title=Tidal launches free streaming and splits HiFi into two plans |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/17/22787051/tidal-free-hifi-plus-announced-features-artist-payments |website=The Verge |access-date=13 December 2021 |language=en |date=17 November 2021}} CD-quality HiFi audio was also introduced to all paid plans, while MQA-quality audio was kept exclusive for the new HiFi Plus plan.

Tidal's download store closed in October 2022.{{Cite web |title=Managing my subscription: TIDAL Download Store |url=https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003672089 |access-date=26 April 2023 |website=TIDAL}}

Tidal laid off more than 10% of its staff in December 2023.{{Cite news |title=Jack Dorsey's Ax Hits Tidal Music Service With Over 10% of Staff Let Go |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-06/dorsey-s-ax-hits-tidal-music-service-over-10-of-staff-let-go |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=Bloomberg|date=December 6, 2023 }}

A selling point for Tidal as compared with other streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora Radio is the exclusive content already available and expected for the future from the current artists who co-own the company, as well as others. Exclusive content available on the relaunch of Tidal included Rihanna's single "Bitch Better Have My Money", The White Stripes debut television appearance, Daft Punk's Electroma (2006), and playlists personally curated by Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Arcade Fire, and Coldplay.{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2015/03/tidal-debuts-with-exclusive-releases-with-the-white-stripes-daft-punk-and-arcade-fire/|title=TIDAL debuts with exclusive releases from The White Stripes, Daft Punk, and Arcade Fire|publisher=Consequence of Sound|first=Alex|last=Young|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015}} Tidal stated on its official Twitter page that "lots of exclusive content [is] on the way".{{cite tweet |user=TIDALHiFi |number=583302720347574272|date=April 1, 2015 |title=Lots of exclusive content on the way, stay tuned. Awesome to hear you're loving TIDAL.}}

Jay-Z's catalogue was not available on Spotify but was almost entirely exclusive on Tidal{{cite web|last=Allamani |first=Joana |url=https://www.investopedia.com/news/why-jay-z-removed-most-his-music-spotify |title=Why Jay Z Removed Most of His Music from Spotify |publisher=Investopedia.com |date=June 25, 2019 |access-date=October 13, 2020}} until his 50th birthday.{{cite tweet |user=Spotify |number=1202090253839937536 |date=December 4, 2019 |title=Happy birthday, Hov Welcome back to Spotify.}}

During the press conference, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Daft Punk, Jack White, Madonna, Arcade Fire, Alicia Keys, Usher, Chris Martin, Calvin Harris, deadmau5, Jason Aldean and J. Cole were introduced to the stage as "the owners of TIDAL".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6509498/jay-z-tidal-launch-artist-stakeholders|title=It's Official: Jay Z's Historic Tidal Launches With 16 Artist Stakeholders|magazine=Billboard|first=Andrew|last=Flanagan|date=March 30, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.inveterate.co.uk/tech/tidal-jay-z-kanye-west-madonna-and-more-announce-new-high-fidelity-streaming-service/145895/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402150903/http://www.inveterate.co.uk/tech/tidal-jay-z-kanye-west-madonna-and-more-announce-new-high-fidelity-streaming-service/145895/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 2, 2015|title=Tidal: Jay Z, Kanye West, Madonna, And More Announce New High-Fidelity Streaming Service|publisher=Inveterate|first=Lewis|last=Abbey|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015}}{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SifNd8j3Zdc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/SifNd8j3Zdc| archive-date=2021-11-02 | url-status=live|title=Tidal Live Press Conference Ft. Jay Z, Madonna, Beyonce and Kanye West! |via=YouTube|date=March 30, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015|time=1:44}}{{cbignore}} Eric Harvey of Pitchfork stated of the artists who co-own the service, "These are the 1 percent of pop music in the world right now, these are artists who do not answer to record labels, do not answer to corporations."

On March 30, 2015, a press conference was held at Skylight at Moynihan Station in New York City, to relaunch Tidal officially.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/madonna-minaj-among-owners-of-jay-z-s-new-streaming-service-tidal-1.3016339|title=Madonna, Minaj among owners of Jay Z's new streaming service, Tidal|publisher=CBC News|agency=Associated Press|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015}} The conference started with a brief introduction and explanation of Tidal. After introducing the aforementioned sixteen artist co-owners of Tidal onstage, recording artist Alicia Keys spoke on behalf of the artists and for Tidal. She stated, "So we come together before you on this day, March 30th, 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." Keys also described the event as like a "graduation".{{cite web|url=http://www.nkojomensah.com/2015/03/jay-z-promotes-artist-owned-music.html|title=Jay Z promotes 'artist-owned' music streaming brand|date=March 31, 2015|publisher=Nkojomensah|access-date=March 31, 2015}} At the end of the press conference, all artists onstage signed a declaration, which stated Tidal's mission.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/30/tidal-confirms-partnership-with-sprint-owner-softbank-for-its-artist-co-owned-music-service/|title=Tidal Confirms Partnership With Sprint Owner Softbank For Its Artist Co-Owned Music Service|publisher=TechCrunch|first=Ingrid|last=Lunden|date=March 30, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015}} Tidal claimed to have gained 100,000 new subscribers following the press conference revealing the artists involved in the service.{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2015/04/01/sprint-softbank-purchase-stake-in-jay-zs-tidal/|title=Sprint, Softbank purchase stake in Jay Z's Tidal|work=New York Post|first=Claire|last=Atkinson|date=April 1, 2015|access-date=April 2, 2015}}

In June 2015, Lil Wayne joined the service's roster as an artist co-owner, starting the partnership by exclusively releasing a track on the service called "Glory".{{cite web|url=http://www.ballerstatus.com/2015/06/04/lil-wayne-joins-tidal/|title=Lil Wayne Joins TIDAL|date=June 4, 2015|publisher=BallerStatus.com|access-date=June 4, 2015|archive-date=July 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701030602/https://www.ballerstatus.com/2015/06/04/lil-wayne-joins-tidal/|url-status=dead}} On February 23, 2016, T.I. joined the service's roster as the latest co-owner, beginning the partnership by releasing "Money Talk", a single from his tenth album, Dime Trap, exclusively on the service; his album was also streamed live on Tidal from Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6882917/ti-signs-roc-nation-owner-tidal|title=T.I. Signs Distribution Deal With Roc Nation, Becomes Latest Co-Owner of Tidal|magazine=Billboard}}

On July 1, 2017, it was reported Kanye West left Tidal as co-owner and shareholder, after a financial argument with its board of directors{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kanye-west-splits-with-jay-zs-tidal-over-money-dispute-report-w490694|title=Kanye West Splits With Jay-Z's Tidal: Report|work=Us|date=July 2, 2017|access-date=December 7, 2018}} regarding compensation for his contributions to the company. West later demanded payment from Tidal of $3 million for his inclusion on marketing efforts, video production, and claiming the release of his 2016 album, The Life of Pablo, being the reason for Tidal's 1.5 million subscriber increase soon following the release.{{cite news |last1=Halperin |first1=Shirley |title=Kanye West Takes Jay-Z's Tidal to Task Over Money Owed |url=https://variety.com/2017/music/news/kanye-west-jay-z-tidal-money-owed-1202487355/ |access-date=December 8, 2018 |work=Variety |date=July 5, 2017 |language=en}} In response, Tidal stated West failed to deliver the videos he promised on his contract.{{cite news |last1=Carson |first1=Biz |title=Kanye West is reportedly splitting from Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-is-reportedly-splitting-from-jay-zs-tidal-streaming-service-2017-7 |access-date=December 8, 2018 |work=Business Insider |date=July 2, 2017}}

In April 2015, Tidal exclusives included Beyoncé releasing a video of her performing "Die With You", a never-before-heard original song, dedicated to her and Jay-Z's wedding anniversary, Madonna releasing a teaser of her upcoming music video at the time for "Ghosttown" and Rihanna debuting her brand new song and music video "American Oxygen".{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2124097/beyonce-die-with-you-tidal/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406002106/http://www.mtv.com/news/2124097/beyonce-die-with-you-tidal/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 6, 2015|title=Beyoncé's Anniversary Present To Jay Z Is This 'Die With You' Video On Tidal|publisher=MTV News|date=April 4, 2015|access-date=April 5, 2015}}{{cite tweet |user=TIDAL |number=584702101445455872|date=April 5, 2015 |title=We've got it first! Watch the sneak peak[sic] of @Madonna's new video Ghosttown on http://tidal.com}}

In May 2015, Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé released the official Feeling Myself music video exclusively on Tidal{{cite web |last1=Petrose |first1=Yules |title=TIME |url=https://time.com/3883258/nicki-minaj-beyonce-feeling-myself-video-tidal/ |website=www.timemagazine.com}}

In January 2016, Tidal released Rihanna's Anti as a one-week exclusive stream.{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/01/27/rihanna-anti-album-released/ |title=Rihanna: Anti released on Tidal |last=Goodman |first=Jessica |date=January 27, 2016 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=December 18, 2018}} In February 2016, Tidal secured an exclusive initial release with Kanye West's The Life of Pablo. West went on to vow that the album would "never appear on any other services [than Tidal]", nor would it ever be for sale.{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-jay-zs-tidal-music-streaming-service-2016-8 |title=The unpredictable and dramatic story of Jay Z's Tidal, the music service trying to fight Apple and Spotify |last=McAlone |first=Nathan |date=August 12, 2016 |work=Business Insider |access-date=December 18, 2018}} On April 23, 2016, Beyoncé released her second visual album, Lemonade, for streaming exclusively on Tidal. On April 25, it was made available for purchase by track or album on Amazon Music and the iTunes store and on May 6, it arrived at physical retailers.

Jay-Z's 2017 album 4:44 debuted on Tidal.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/18/17475362/beyonce-jay-z-everything-is-love-spotify-apple-music-tidal |title=Beyoncé and Jay Z's EVERYTHING IS LOVE hits Spotify and Apple Music |last=Stephen |first=Bijan |date=June 18, 2018 |website=The Verge |access-date=December 18, 2018}} The next year, Jay-Z released a collaborative album with Beyoncé, Everything Is Love, via Tidal.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/jay-z-new-album-444-tidal-exclusive-1202483883/ |title=Jay-Z's New Album, '4:44,' Has Dropped — But Sources Say Tidal's Exclusive Will Only Last a Week |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=June 29, 2017 |work=Variety |access-date=December 18, 2018}}

Tidal regularly streams concerts live and on-demand including the Made in America festival and TIDAL X Brooklyn.{{cite web |url=https://www.vibe.com/2018/06/nicki-minaj-made-in-america-lineup-2018/ |title=Nicki Minaj, Post Malone To Headline 'Made In America' 2018 |last=Jacobs |first=Lola |date=June 4, 2018 |work=Vibe |access-date=December 18, 2018}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8005738/tidal-x-live-stream-2017 |title=TIDAL X Benefit Concert: Watch the Live Stream |last=Iasimone |first=Ashley |date=October 17, 2017 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 18, 2018}} In 2018, Tidal live-streamed Hot 97's 25th annual Summer Jam.{{cite web |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2018/06/tidal-livestream-hot-97-summer-jam |title=TIDAL Will Livestream Hot 97's Summer Jam Featuring Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, ASAP Ferg, and More |last=Espinoza |first=Joshua |date=June 9, 2018 |website=Complex |access-date=December 18, 2018}} Also in 2018, Tidal partnered with Equal Justice Initiative to live-stream The Concert for Peace and Justice.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/concerts/8301665/tidal-livestream-the-roots-common-concert-for-peace-justice |title=TIDAL to Livestream The Roots, Common, Brittany Howard and More at the Concert for Peace and Justice |last=Honeycutt |first=Shante |date=April 10, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 18, 2018}} The concert commemorated the opening of The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Legacy Museum, both located in Montgomery, Alabama.

Shortly after Tidal's launch and press conference, the mobile version of the service shot to the top 20 of the U.S. iPhone Apps chart. Following criticism for its "out-of-touch marketing campaign", two weeks later, the app had already fallen out of the top 700 rankings of the same list.{{cite web|url=http://www.ballerstatus.com/2015/04/21/jay-zs-tidal-app-falls-out-of-top-700-iphone-apps-chart/|title=Jay Z's TIDAL App Falls Out Of Top 700 iPhone Apps Chart|publisher=BallerStatus.com|date=April 21, 2015|access-date=April 22, 2015|archive-date=April 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425051531/http://www.ballerstatus.com/2015/04/21/jay-zs-tidal-app-falls-out-of-top-700-iphone-apps-chart/|url-status=dead}}

Glenn Peoples of Billboard wrote that Tidal was a good thing for the music industry. He stated that the U.S. streaming market needed a "kick in the butt" when looking at the growth rate of streaming from 2014 to 2015. Peoples also noted that more competition in the streaming market is a good thing as it could lead to a "greater diffusion of innovation". He concluded that a service like Tidal – which is promoted as paying a fair amount of royalties to both the artists and the songwriters – will lead to the industry as a whole sorting out its issues with streaming royalties.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6516972/is-jay-z-tidal-good-for-music-business|title=3 Reasons Why Jay Z's Tidal Is Good for the Music Business -- Even If It Fails|magazine=Billboard|first=Glenn|last=Peoples|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=November 4, 2018}}

Writing for USA Today{{'}}s website in 2015, Micah Peters released a list of "3 reasons why Jay-Z's new Tidal streaming service is stupid". The article focused on points that the high fidelity, the lossless audio quality model being promoted was "overestimat[ing] the average listener". Peters worried that most listeners do not have the required, advanced headphones to distinguish the difference between ordinary and high-fidelity audio (Hi-Fi). The article also stated that the $20 price was not reasonable for the mass market.{{cite web |url= http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/3-reasons-why-jay-zs-tidal-streaming-service-is-stupid |title= 3 reasons why Jay Z's new Tidal streaming service is stupid |work=For The Win USA Today|first= Micah|last=Peters|date= March 31, 2015|access-date= March 31, 2015}}

In 2015, recording artist Lily Allen expressed her opinions on Tidal on her official Twitter account. She feared that the high price of Tidal, as well as the mass popularity of the artist co-owners, could result in crippling the music industry and increasing piracy. She stated, "I love Jay-Z so much, but Tidal is (so) expensive compared to other perfectly good streaming services, he's taken the biggest artists… Made them exclusive to Tidal (am I right in thinking this?), people are going to swarm back to pirate sites in droves".{{cite web|url= http://www.u.tv/Entertainment/2015/03/31/Lily-Allen-fears-Tidal-will-cripple-music-industry-34605 |title= Lily Allen fears Tidal will cripple music industry|date=March 31, 2015 |access-date= March 31, 2015 |publisher= UTV |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100804/http://www.u.tv/Entertainment/2015/03/31/Lily-Allen-fears-Tidal-will-cripple-music-industry-34605 |archive-date= April 2, 2015}}

Jay-Z responded to criticism with a freestyle during the Tidal X: Jaÿ-Z B-Sides{{cite web|url= http://pitchfork.com/news/59447-jay-z-announces-tidal-x-jay-z-b-sides-concert-featuring-rare-music |title=Jay Z Announces "Tidal X: Jaÿ-Z B-Sides" Concert Featuring Rare Music|work= Pitchfork |date=April 29, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2015}} concert. He compared Tidal with Apple and Nike and wrote that Tidal had been subjected to hypocritical criticism.

Kanye West's decision to initially release his album The Life of Pablo as a Tidal streaming exclusive led to criticism from fans, who felt that streaming exclusivity could promote piracy. The album was pirated over 500,000 times as of February 17, 2016.{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35587381 | title = Kanye West album 'pirated 500,000 times' already | first = Zoe |last = Kleinman| work = BBC News | date = February 16, 2016 | access-date = February 24, 2016}} West later made the album available to stream on competing services.{{cite news |title= Kanye West's The Life of Pablo Is Finally Available On Spotify |first= Nash |last= Jenkins |url= https://time.com/4278906/kanye-west-tlop-streaming-spotify-apple-music/ |date= April 1, 2016 |magazine= Time |access-date=January 13, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170825020511/http://time.com/4278906/kanye-west-tlop-streaming-spotify-apple-music/ |archive-date= August 25, 2017}}

In July 2017, West terminated his contract with Tidal, claiming that the service owed him $3 million.{{cite web|url= https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/kanye-west-quits-tidal-claiming-service-owes-3m-report|title=Kanye West quits TIDAL, claiming service owes him $3m | type = report | work = Music Business Worldwide|date=July 2, 2017 |access-date=July 4, 2017}}

In 2015, one artist stated that artist royalties per track from Aspiro/Tidal were then over three times those paid by Spotify, but that royalties may decrease to provide a sufficient return on investment.{{cite web|url=https://storify.com/_charlie123/mint-royale-on-tidal-streaming|title=Mint Royale on Tidal streaming|publisher=storify.com|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=March 31, 2015}} Jay-Z commented in an interview to Billboard that artists would be paid more by being streamed on Tidal than with Spotify, stating "Will artists make more money? Even if it means less profit for our bottom line? Absolutely." In the same interview, he also stressed the service was for people "lower down on the food chain".

On February 27, 2016, Yesh Music, LLC and John Emanuele from the band The American Dollar launched a $5 million class-action lawsuit that claimed Tidal had to compensate the band for any of the royalty payments accrued from the streaming of the band's 116 copyrighted songs. The suit also accused Tidal of using faulty numbers to payout artists while also having undercut these same individuals by 35%. A response from Tidal stated that they were indeed fully up to date on all royalties for the group and had removed said intellectual property from their servers.{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/3/1/11138960/tidal-fires-cfo-and-coo|title=Tidal fires its CFO and COO|website=The Verge|date=March 2016|access-date=March 3, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2016/02/jay-z-and-tidal-facing-lawsuit-over-not-paying-out-royalties-to-artists|title=Jay Z and Tidal Are Reportedly Facing a Lawsuit Over Failing To Pay Artist Royalties (UPDATE)|website=Complex|access-date=March 3, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/301002525|title=Yesh Music v. S Carter Enterprises - class action complaint royalties TIDAL.pdf|via=Scribd|access-date=March 3, 2016}}

In January 2017, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv ('Today's Business') reported that it had received internal documents disclosing lower subscriber counts than had been publicly announced by Tidal and its owners, having only 350,000 users in September 2015 (contradicting a claim by Jay-Z that the service had a million users), and 850,000 subscribers by March 2016, rather than the 3 million claimed by the service (which may have been inflated by including users that were using a free trial).{{cite web|title=Jay Z's Tidal Streaming Service May Have Inflated Subscriber Numbers (Report)|url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/tidal-subscriber-numbers-inflated-1201965174/|website=Variety|date=January 20, 2017|access-date=January 21, 2017}}{{cite web|title=Tidal may have been inflating its subscriber numbers|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/20/14336218/tidal-subscriber-numbers-inflating-report|website=The Verge|date=January 20, 2017|access-date=November 4, 2018}}

In May 2018, Dagens Næringsliv published a report accusing Tidal of intentionally falsifying streaming numbers for Beyoncé's Lemonade and Kanye West's The Life of Pablo albums and consequently paying inflated royalties to the artists' record labels. The newspaper supported its report with a comprehensive study{{Cite web |last1=Johnsen |first1=Jan William |last2=Franke |first2=Katrin |date=10 April 2018 |title=Digital Forensics Report for Dagens Næringsliv |url=https://www.dn.no/staticprojects/special/2018/05/09/0600/dokumentar/strommekuppet/data/documentation/NTNU-rapport_til_publisering.pdf |website=Norwegian University of Science and Technology}} from Norwegian University of Science and Technology's Center for Cyber and Information Security in Gjøvik. Variety reported, the music service, which "has rarely shared its data publicly", being the exclusive streaming platform for both albums, "claimed that West's album had been streamed 250 million times in its first 10 days of release in February of 2016, while claiming it had just 3 million subscribers – a claim that would have meant every subscriber played the album an average of eight times per day; and that Beyonce's album was streamed 306 million times in its first 15 days of release in April of 2016."{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/jay-z-tidal-accused-of-falsifying-beyonce-and-kanye-west-streaming-numbers-1202804222/ |title=Tidal Accused of Falsifying Beyonce and Kanye West Streaming Numbers |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=May 9, 2018 |work=Variety |access-date=November 4, 2018}}

{{blockquote|"Beyoncé's and Kanye West's listener numbers on Tidal have been manipulated to the tune of several hundred million false plays… which has generated massive royalty payouts at the expense of other artists." It bases this claim on data contained within a hard drive it obtained that "contains ‘billions of rows of [internal TIDAL data]: times and song titles, user IDs and country codes"|Dagens Næringsliv (via Music Business Worldwide)}}

The company denied any wrongdoing.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44066139 |title=Tidal accused of manipulating Beyonce and Kanye West data |date=May 10, 2018 |work=BBC News |access-date=May 10, 2018}} Following the allegations, Norwegian collection society TONO filed an official police complaint against Tidal. Danish music organization Koda has also announced that it would be conducting an independent audit of Tidal data.{{Cite news |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8455997/tidal-fake-streaming-norwegian-pro-files-complaint |title=Norwegian PRO Files Complaint Against Tidal Over Fake Streaming Allegations |last=Smirke |first=Richard |date=May 14, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 4, 2018}}{{update inline|date=October 2020}}. In 2023, all charges in the case were dropped by the Norwegian police as there was no evidence of any wrongdoing.{{cite web |url=https://www.okokrim.no/charges-dropped-in-tidal-case.6610487-549344.html |title=Charges dropped in Tidal case |date=June 27, 2023 |work=Økokrim |access-date=June 27, 2023}}

{{original research section|date=January 2023}}

After skepticism of Tidal and MQA claims,{{Cite web |date=2018-03-02 |title=MQA: A Review of controversies, concerns, and cautions |url=https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/mqa-a-review-of-controversies-concerns-and-cautions-r701/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Audiophile Style |language=en-US}} without independent verification, that MQA sound quality is better than standard PCM encoding, such as "MQA offers our members a more natural, believable, involving and immersive listening experience,"{{cite web |title=What Audio Quality Do TIDAL HiFi Plans Offer? |url=https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002599997-What-Audio-Quality-Do-TIDAL-HiFi-Plans-Offer- |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213165930/https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002599997-What-Audio-Quality-Do-TIDAL-HiFi-Plans-Offer- |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |access-date=December 14, 2021 |publisher=Tidal Support}} GoldenSound, a YouTuber, conducted a series of tests{{cite web |date=November 29, 2021 |title=Tidal 'HiFi' is NOT lossless |url=https://goldensound.audio/2021/11/29/tidal-hifi-is-not-lossless/ |access-date=February 12, 2022 |publisher=GoldenSound}}{{cite web |title=I published music on Tidal to test MQA - MQA Review | date=April 15, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRjsu9-Vznc |access-date=February 12, 2022 |publisher=GoldenSound}} to publish non-music audio test signals to the platform which were rejected because "the MQA encoder was unable to encode the file."

GoldenSound then successfully passed the MQA encoding validation step by hiding test signals added to music, such as white noise, an impulse response, a square wave, a 32-tone test signal, and the RMAA test sequence interspersed with self-produced music. He uploaded a 44.1 kHz version and an 88.2 kHz version, which exceeded the encoder parameters meant to allow MQA processing with no audible loss, distortions, or compression.

After comparing the original test file to the MQA encoded file, it was shown that the MQA-encoded versions uploaded to Tidal had distorted many of the test signals and, on the 88.2 kHz version, had added high-frequency noise to the entire file. The non-encoded test files were compared to the same files uploaded to other streaming services, prominently Deezer, which had no loss or compression added, showing that the MQA encoding had reduced the file's quality. GoldenSound concluded that MQA is not lossless, that it differs from the original master, and that it's not at all how the artist intended for it to be listened to.

The test files uploaded to Tidal were removed shortly after GoldenSound sent an e-mail to MQA questioning their legitimacy and their recommended methods for encoding to MQA, stating that there is no viable or easy method to test their claims about lossless-ness, even for indie artists. These tests by GoldenSound have been discredited by independent reviewers due to the use of test signals which violated the MQA encoder parameters that are met in music produced by record labels and other legitimate sources.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stereophile.com/content/mqa-again|title=MQA again|date=June 6, 2021|website=Stereophile.com}}{{cite web |title=MQA Deep Dive - I published music on tidal to test MQA

|date=March 25, 2021 |url=https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/mqa-deep-dive-i-published-music-on-tidal-to-test-mqa.22549/page-173#post-802823 |access-date= April 22, 2023 |publisher= Audio Science Review}}

Musician Neil Young removed his music from Tidal{{When|date=August 2023}} after it had been converted to MQA and labeled "Master". Young criticized the audio quality and the MQA business scheme: "TIDAL's master is a degradation of the original to make it fit in a box that collects royalties. That money ultimately is paid by listeners, I am not behind it. I am out of there. Gone. My masters are the original."{{cite web|url=https://neilyoungarchives.com/news/1/article?id=Tidal-Misleading-Listeners|title=Tidal Misleading Listeners|publisher=Neil Young|access-date=February 12, 2022}} Young's discography has since returned to the service.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-28 |title=Apple Music, Tidal promote Neil Young after Spotify removes his music |url=https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/apple-music-tidal-promote-neil-young-after-spotify-removes-his-music-3149062 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=NME |language=en-AU}}

In early April 2023, British company MQA Ltd, the owner of the MQA licence, announced that it had entered administration (bankruptcy protection).{{Cite web |last=McKerrell |first=Harry |date=2023-04-14 |title=MQA has gone into administration: what does this mean for Tidal and supported products? |url=https://www.whathifi.com/features/mqa-has-gone-into-administration-what-does-this-mean-for-tidal-and-supported-products |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=What Hi-Fi? |language=en}} Shortly after this, TIDAL's CEO Jesse Dorogusker stated that high-resolution FLAC streaming would be available either concurrently or as a replacement for MQA content.{{cite web | url=https://www.reddit.com/r/TIdaL/comments/12hr68f/comment/jfuo1ng/?context=3 | title=So many questions ab… | date=April 11, 2023 }} This was followed with an Early Access Program on June 29, 2023{{Cite web |last=TIDAL_Jesse |date=2023-06-29 |title=HiRes FLAC is almost here |url=http://www.reddit.com/r/TIdaL/comments/14m6j5o/hires_flac_is_almost_here/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=r/TIdaL}} with hi-res FLAC streaming up to 192 kHz prioritized over the MQA version. Since then, Tidal has been replacing MQA content with hi-res FLACs and prioritizing FLAC streaming over MQA, with Tidal later announcing in June 2024 that they would discontinue support for MQA altogether the following month, July 2024.{{Cite web |last=Song |first=Victoria |date=2024-06-21 |title=Tidal is revamping its lossless and immersive audio formats |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/21/24183037/tidal-mqa-flac-dolby-atmos-spatial-audio |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=The Verge |language=en}}

Tidal has apps available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Tesla{{Cite web |title=TIDAL and Tesla |url=https://tidal.com/partners/tesla |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=Tidal}} and Android compatible devices. Tidal is compatible with Apple TV, Roku,{{cite news |last1=Humphries |first1=Matthew |title=Tidal Brings Its Lossless Music Streaming to Roku |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/371009/tidal-brings-its-lossless-music-streaming-to-roku |access-date=October 1, 2019 |work=PC Magazine |date=September 27, 2019}} CarPlay, Android Auto, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/22/17152608/tidal-amazon-fire-tv-android-auto-compatibility |title=Tidal launches Amazon Fire TV app, adds Android Auto compatibility |last=Estrada |first=Zac |date=March 22, 2018 |website=The Verge |access-date=May 16, 2019}}

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