TIDAL Free Tier Announced Alongside Direct Artist Payments
TIDAL has revealed a couple of changes, one of which should benefit the reason why any music streaming platform exists - the artists.
TIDAL has announced a new free tier as well as including lossless 16-bit 44.1kHz audio streams in its standard plan, which is priced at £9.99 and dubbed TIDAL HiFi.
TIDAL HiFi includes interruption-free access to audio at up to 1411 kbps (compared to the previous 320kbps) as well as offline capabilities and access to features such as Tidal Connect. TIDAL's Family Tier also benefits from the same update.
Incidentally, TIDAL HiFi Plus, at £19.99 a month, gives you everything from TIDAL HiFi and adds immersive sound formats (Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Audio recordings) and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) tracks (at up to 9216 kbps), plus early access to any future offerings.
Then we come to TIDAL Free. This imaginatively-titled tier has launched in the USA offering gratis streams with access to a library of 80 million tracks at 160kbps with "limited interruptions". Said interruptions will not be adverts, according to TIDAL, but will be aimed at educating consumers on the music industry. We are told that the company plans to extend the free tier to other markets in the future.
However, the big news for the creators of the music being hosted is that TIDAL, as promised when Square's Jack Dorsey took over, has started its 'direct-to-artist' payments which will distribute up to 10% of your HiFi Plus subscription to the artists you listen to the most each month, in addition to standard streaming royalties. Furthermore, from next year 'fan-centric royalties' will be paid based on the actual streaming activity of individual HiFi Plus subscribers instead of the industry-accepted method of aggregating streams, "empowering fans to play a larger role in the success of their favourite artists".
It's worth noting that these figures are based purely on TIDAL HiFi Plus subscriber plays, and artists must choose to opt-in to access direct artist payouts, either through TIDAL's invite-only direct registration option or through distribution partners. Access to the program will open in the coming months, with further information available at tidal.com/ForArtists. Still, anything that gives the artists and musicians a fairer deal for their time, hard work, and creativity is a step in the right direction.
Is streaming endangering the future of music, or are we witnessing a shift in how artists fund their creativity?
Visit TIDAL for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. Jay heads up StereoNET as Editor for the United Kingdom and Europe regions. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Technology | Music | Industry
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message
Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.