Tidal Is Still a Thing That Exists, Now Has Jay Z Exclusive

We talk a lot about Spotify and Apple Music on the topic of music streaming. So much so that it's easy to forget that other streaming platforms exist. Tidal, Jay Z's streaming service, is often one of these forgotten platforms.

But, bless their hearts, they're still trying to make some noise. Jay Z's next album, 4:44, will be exclusively released on Tidal June 30.

This move makes a ton of sense for the service, seeing how Tidal is Jay Z's company after all. Well, partly his company. Tidal sold a third of itself to Sprint, meaning Sprint users now have free access to Tidal for six months.

Tidal hasn't had a lot of luck yet in the court of public opinion. Critics have been harsh, claiming that Tidal's high monthly cost — $20 for lossless quality, a more standard $9.99 for "standard" quality — plus the amount of artist exclusivity, would lead to an increase in music piracy, not a decrease.

Tidal has also had a worrying amount of CEO turnover, as there have been three since Jay Z acquired the company in 2015. There is currently no CEO.

Hopefully, the new user base from Sprint plus an exclusive album from Jay Z will be enough of a boost to launch Tidal into the same tier as Spotify and Apple Music.