Jay-Z’s Album Boosts His Tidal Streaming Site
By Rashidat Akashat with agency report
Jay-Z has enjoyed a surge in his streaming service Tidal, following the release of his most anticipated album ‘4:44’, exclusively on the platform.
The album which was released on Friday, made the streaming service which was acquired by the rap mogul in 2015, the most downloaded app in the United States.
According to tracking service App Annie, Tidal, which ranked far behind other streaming leader such as Spotify as well as Apple Music, has seen a fast climb, scaling 163 places up from Thursday.
It stood at number six on Monday, behind app stalwarts such as Instagram.
Lyrics of the album
‘4:44,’ is the first album by the rapper in four years, who has poured all his energy into his business empire. It came out to favorable reviews and a major buzz online over his unusually introspective lyricism.
On the album, he apologizes to his wife, pop superstar Beyonce, for infidelity and reveals that his mother is a lesbian who struggled in the closet.
Why Tidal?
The rap genius, chose to release “4:44” exclusively on Tidal, with the album promoted by telecom provider Sprint, which recently bought a one-third stake in the platform amid the rapid growth of streaming worldwide.
Jay-Z has not disclosed whether the album will remain a Tidal exclusive, since it’s his own streaming service, hence his effort in boosting the platform.
However, observers are keen that just like other stars including Beyonce who released their albums through Tidal and later made them available for download on Apple’s iTunes or on rival streaming platforms, he might do the same.
Tidal, a Norwegian company, said last year that it had three million subscribers, although a media report questioned the figure.
It is a fraction of the 50 million paying subscribers of Sweden-based Spotify, which said last month that an additional 90 million people used its free tier.
The exclusive arrangement has brought uncanny moments. When Jay-Z’s album was released, social media was abuzz with loaded lyrics which he supposedly made against fellow rapper Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian.
The lyrics turned out to be the musical equivalent of fake news — with Jay-Z taking West to task but more lightly. Some social media users acknowledged they could not access the album to verify for themselves.
