Jay Z launches new high-quality TIDAL streaming service

Following a fair amount of industry-promotion, Jay Z has launched his new TIDAL service – a new venture in which he hopes will provide music fans an alternative to Spotify, Deezer and Beats Music.

Launched in the US & UK only (for the time-being), TIDAL’s USP focuses on combining “the best High Fidelity sound quality, High Definition music videos and expertly-curated Editorial”; essentially, in real-world terms for the general music punter, TIDAL offers audio streams that far surpass the sound quality that its rivals currently offer.

However, to get all this HD content comes at a premium; unlike the aforementioned Spotify and Deezer, TIDAL will not have a free, ad-supported model, instead charging a monthly subscription for unlimited access to its content (ranging up to US$19.99 per month). Though, with a heavyweight like Jay Z involved, expect there to be a few twists to the current music-streaming game – Taylor Swift, who famously snubbed Spotify when she released her latest collection 1989, will have the full project available on TIDAL (alongside the rest of her discography too). Additionally, with Rihanna’s new collection R8 expected to land imminently, and likewise for Kanye West’s upcoming So Help Me God, we wouldn’t be surprised if there were exclusive premieres of the albums for TIDAL. What’s more, with rumours of a Watch The Throne follow-up now in full-swing, any such record will also likely be exclusive to the service; remember Jay Z’s alignment with Samsung for Magna Carta Holy Grail back in 2013? Well expect any surprise new Jay Z album to also hear its TIDAL premiere.

Finally, it’s not just Jay Z who’s getting in on the game; Twitter has been awash with the hashtags #TurnitBlue and #TIDALforALL, with a whole host of big-names getting behind the campaign and turning their profiles blue for the TIDAL launch, including the likes of Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Kanye West, Jack White and more.

Jay Z is expected to unveil more about TIDAL at a press conference this evening (5pm ET / 10pm UK-time/GMT) so stay locked to Stagedoor FM for all the latest on this exciting proposition! Meanwhile check the full trailer below: