Tidal poses to solve artists’ setbacks

Image by charles paris via Flickr

Veronika Quispe | Contributing Writer

opinion@fiusm.com

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I scrolled through Twitter a few days ago and noticed some artists I follow changed their avi’s and profile color to a vibrant teal blue. Kanye, Jay Z, Deadmau5 among others encouraged everyone to join the cause by also changing their profiles, ending with the hashtag #TidalforAll.

Of course I was instantly confused. What is Tidal, what’s up with this blue? It sounded like yet another social media epidemic when Kanye tweeted “Together, we can turn the tide and make music history.” I mean, the idea of Kanye saying “together” is something worth raising an eyebrow for. Then I saw our queen, Beyonce, was also “in the cause” so I immediately began my research.

The announcement was set to be made at 5 p.m ET and explain what all this fuss was about. Something big was coming, and I got a little excited hoping all these artists would somehow make a collaboration concert in benefiting some sort of humanitarian cause.

Then at five o’clock my concert dream was shattered. The big announcement revealed Jay Z’s $56 million dollar investment in a something called Tidal. A new subscription based music streaming service.

The Tidal press conference also revealed that it is the first ever artist owned music platform. Enter Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne,Beyoncé, Madonna, Rihanna, Kanye West, Usher, Alicia Keys, Daft Punk, Chris Martin from Coldplay and Calvin Harris featured via webcam, Nicki Minaj, Jack White, Jason Aldean, Deadmau5 and J. Cole on the stage one by one as the pioneering owners.

To make the launch official, the man who sang “first rapper to rewrite history without a pen” picked up a pen to sign a “declaration,” as Alicia Keys called it to end her speech about a new revolutionary time for music. Then passed the pen along to his colleagues. I again was left with many questions. First, why can’t I be that pen? Secondly, okay so this is the artist’s way of shutting down Spotify? What will be the difference? How much will it cost?

Tidal offers a variety of genres in both sound and video. It also offers exclusive music from popular artists and even their music videos.The best selling point Tidal has is the promise of high quality sound. As a music fan, hearing the difference in sound is vital especially when so many people invest money in high quality speakers and headphones.Tidal’s monthly subscription prices vary on the quality of sound beginning at $10 for normal quality sound, and $20 for the HiFidelity quality.

Yes the layout of the website resembles to Spotify, and it does have Shazam’s song recognizing features.

However, Tidal will offer artists the control and value of their art. Apparently something Spotify has been disregarding by offering 45 million users free access to music thus causing some popular artists, such as Taylor Swift, to pull their music away.

This week’s social media outburst led music fans to quickly run to twitter to express their thoughts on this new program. Of course, they took #TidalforAll to the number one trending topic. Free advertising, check.

And of course, most people were pissed. Half complained about the ridiculous prices, “Tidal is a way for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.” The other half said that this amount of publicity should be directed toward other causes.

However, this is a serious issue for artists because they are being devalued with the advancement of technology and instant streaming. It’s true, people no longer go out and buy albums and their revenue has taken a hit over the past few years.

It may not force our favorite artists to settle down when spending at clubs, stores, or vacations but it goes without saying that the amount of work these artists have put forth in order to spend lavishly on vacations and clubs is something worth compensating.

As a mere mortal with absolutely zero musical talent, I have no idea what it’s like to deal with record labels and music streaming services.Therefore I have to admire the A-Lister’s effort to get “control” of the way their music is being transmitted. But I do know music. Music is a universal inspiring language that has brought a plethora of cultures and ideas together time after time.

To say that these artists remained completely quiet in times of social injustice, is a little far off. They have all done their part in advocating their values and the betterment of their fans. Whether they made huge publicity out of it, or wrote songs that got you through the day, they have all done a part in our world. Probably more than those complaining about a 20 dollar fee when they spend more money on other unnecessary things.

It’s apparently a hard knock life for artists now a days, and they need our help to get back on their feet.