Jay Z took to Twitter this afternoon to explain a few things about Tidal, the streaming service he launched with a lot of celebrity pals back in March.
At the core of his rare tweets is the message that the company are doing well considering they only launched less than a month ago. "The iTunes store wasn't built in a day," Jay wrote; "It took Spotify 9 years to be successful...We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow and get better." He also clarified a few points about the company's business model, including the fact that all artists whose music is streamed on Tidal will receive 75% royalties—not just the famous artists seen onstage at the Tidal launch—and the service plans to expand to include streams of sports events and live music.
This comes amid reports from Page Six that Apple—who have plans to relaunch their own streaming service, Beats Music—have been deliberately messing with Tidal in an attempt to sabotage the business. A music industry source told Page Six that Tidal fell out of the iPhone top 700 apps last week after Apple "deliberately took a long time to approve Tidal iOS app updates." There were also reported technical problems with Rihanna's music in iTunes after her single "American Oxygen" debuted on Tidal.
Read Jay Z's full defense of Tidal below.
Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day. It took Spotify 9 years to be successful…
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign. We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015We made Tidal for fans. We have more than just music. We have video, exclusive concerts, tickets for events early, live sports!...
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015….Tidal is where artists can give their fans more without the middlemen. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015Indie artists who want to work directly w/ us keep 100% of their music. "If you don't want the CEOs all in the videos" haa #tidalfacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers - not just the founding members on stage.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015Rich getting richer? Equity values... YouTube $390 billion. Apple $760 billion. Spotify $8 billion. Tidal $60 million. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015My cousin just moved to Nigeria to discover new talent. Tidal is a global company.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015We have Tidal X - it supports artists by giving them a platform to connect with their most loyal fans. Tidal is for all. #Tidalfacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015Our actions will speak louder than words. We made Tidal to bring people the best experiences...
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015and to help artists give that to their fans over and over again…
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015We are human (even Daft Punk ha). We aren't perfect - but we are determined. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015Lead photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images
