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Tidal is giving 10 independent musicians $100,000 each — meaning that Tidal will be giving away $1,000,000 in total — as part of their Upload Headliners contest. If you are an indie artist: shoot your shot here.
The streaming platform announced the competition in early November and has already chosen one winner, the indie folk singer Lily Amiclo. To participate, artists simply need to upload a new or previously uploaded track to Tidal's contest page. You don't need a Tidal subscription to enter: you can upload via their free account option. Tidal's Editorial team will review the track and consider it for one of the 9 remaining winners, who will receive $100k directly into their Cash App accounts. The deadline to apply is December 31, 2025, and the contest is only open to U.S.-based artists.
As for Amiclo, the prize pot has already made an impact on her life. "I was in shock. I was shaking,” the singer and producer told Tidal about the moment she learned she was one of ten artists selected as a winner.
Amiclo submitted her song, "Close Encounters," a stirring ode to the sea. The song is not available for wide release on other platforms, but is available on Tidal via Upload.
The opportunity for rising artists to earn such a substantial prize is especially noteworthy given the fact that the economics of earning a living as a musician have been hotly discussed in recent years.
"An artist can only dream of something like this," Amiclo added. "Usually to acquire this type of investment in your music, you have to give something away, and I think that’s what makes this so special and such a statement, I think, to the rest of the music industry.”
Learn more about the competition before its final deadline of December 31, 2025, here.