In just a few hours, Jay Z will be holding a press conference for what a press release describes as “a special announcement and the beginning of a new chapter.” It seems inevitable that it will be related to Tidal, the music streaming service which Hov recently acquired for many tens of millions of dollars, and which he had his famous friends tweetabout on Monday morning (Mar. 30).
As it stands now, Tidal costs $19.99 per month. That’s a higher pricepoint than competitors: In addition to some free options, services like Spotify, Beats Music, Rhapsody and Rdio offer mobile streaming for $9.99 monthly.
So, Jay, what gives?
Ahead of this evening’s announcement, we put together a little something that doubles as a wish list and what could help give Tidal a leg up on the field. Hopefully a few of these come true.
Launch With A New Rihanna Album
When news of Jay’s press conference circulated early this morning, a rumored circulated that Rih’s new album might hit the app today. The singer denied the report on Twitter — but, hey, maybe she’s just trying to persevere the surprise if she can. This will be her first album solely on Hov’s label, Roc Nation, rather than Def Jam, so why not drop it with a bang? She’s got fans buzzing after her single “Bitch Better Have My Money”dropped last week, and with an almost two-and-a-half year gap since her last album, the world is certainly ready for more.
Announce A New Jay Z Album
Thanks to his partnership with Samsung, Jigga’s last album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, was delivered in a new and unexpected way. Why wouldn’t he again take a road less traveled for his next project? We haven’t heard anything about it (minus voices in our head), but Jay moves in silence, so it doesn’t mean a new project isn’t in the works.
Deliver New 2Pac Music To The World
In the years immediately following his death, we got a steady stream of new music from the late Pac. But that hasn’t happened in some time. In fact, seven albums have been released since his death (including The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, just months after his death) — but none since 2006. Last week, a rumor that Jay and Roc Nation bought Pac’s catalog for $384 million hit the ‘net, but Billboard reported that Roc denied the report. Still, if Hov somehow found a way to bring us new Pac music, well, that would be OK.
Include Taylor Swift’s 1989
Taylor’s latest album is notably absent from streaming services like Spotify. But if Hov could secure the rights to 1989? That would be quite a win (currently, the album appears on the app, but you can’t actually listen to it).
An Actual Better Sound
According to The New York Times, Tidal offers “lossless audio formats,” which means that it’s supposedly higher quality than services like Spotify. Tidal, on its website, calls itself “high fidelity music streaming.” If there was a noticeable difference in sound quality, maybe that would be worth the price hike.
Secure Exclusive Deals With Artists Like Beyoncé
Beyoncé featured on Tidal commercialhttp://t.co/zDFxkITwHo
— BEYONCÉ INDONESIA (@BeyonceIndo) March 30, 2015
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This one could really tilt the scales. If artists agreed to only stream their music on Tidal, and remove their catalogs from competing platforms, then consumers would be forced to make a tough choice, and the higher price could prove not only worth it, but necessary. And imagine if he got all the artists that tweeted/showed up in the above commercial? That’s Bey, Kanye, Nicki, Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Madonna, Diddy, Usher, Daft Punk and plenty more. Whoa.
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