A
host of the biggest names in the music industry have joined forces to
launch Tidal, a streaming service being billed as the first artist-owned
platform for music and video.
Rihanna,
Madonna, Beyonce, Usher, Daft Punk, Arcade Fire, Jack White and Kanye
West joined a host of other stars as they were revealed as co-owners of
the subscription service, which is the brainchild of Jay Z.
Unlike rivals Spotify, the service will not have a free tier - meaning the musicians stand to make more money from it.
Celebrity backing: Jason Aldean, Jack
White, Daft Punk, Beyonce, Regine Chassagne, Win Butler, and Alicia Keys
onstage at the Tidal launch event on Monday
Selling the product: Quoting Jimmy Hendrix and Nietzsche, Alicia Keys did her best to sell Tidal to fans
Alicia
Keys said the artists hope Tidal will 'forever change the course of
music history' and ensure the viability of the industry at Monday's
launch event in New York City.
The
celebrities - which also included Nicki Minaj, Jason Aldean, Usher,
Arcade Fire and deadmau5 - stood in a line, and in solidarity by mostly
wearing black onstage as Keys spoke to the audience at Skylight at
Moynihan Station in Manhattan.
Keys called the event 'a graduation.'
'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.
'For today we announce of Tidal, the first ever artist-owned, global music and entertainment platform,' Keys said.
However, details about the streaming service were vague.
The
membership-based service - similar to subscription service Spotify -
will provide music and exclusive video content that users can stream on
computers, tablets and smartphones or listen to offline.
Unlike Spotify there isn't a free service.
It
is being offered to U.S. users at two price points: about $9.95 for
standard sound quality and $19.99 for 'lossless high fidelity sound
quality.'
In the United Kingdom the premium service will set users back £20.
Tidal
streams at 1,411 kilobytes per second - well above the 320 for premium
subscribers of Spotify, which offers lower levels for free users.
Earlier claims were made that Tidal offers artists double the streaming rates of its rival.
However, the firm has confirmed if this is still the case.
Signing on: Madonna climbs on the table as she signs a document as one of the high profile co-owners of the new service
The
difference means that Tidal offers higher sound quality for audiophiles
with advanced sound systems - but that casual listeners using simple
laptops or smartphones may face slower connections.
The
venue for the event was transformed to display a walkway paying tribute
to the different decades in music, starting with the 1950s.
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tidal | $9.95 for standard sound quality and $19.99 for 'lossless high fidelity sound quality' |
| Spotify | Free Premium level with ads, Premium $10 per month service |
| Beats Music | $9.99 per month or $99 per year |
Coldplay's Chris Martin and Calvin Harris, who both appeared via video, are also co-owners.
'Our mission goes beyond commerce, it goes beyond technology.
'Our intent is to preserve music's importance in our lives,' Keys said.
'Music
is the language of love, of laughter, of heartbreak, of mystery. It's
the world's true, true, without question, universal language.'
Each
of the owners signed documents at the event as the audience screamed
when they walked to a table in the center of the stage.
Star power: Daft Punk line up on stage
next to Beyonce; Monday's launch came after a huge social media push,
in which the stars devoted their Twitter and Facebook pages to promoting
Tidal
No comments:
Post a Comment