Jay-Z’s Tidal exclusive album 4:44 reignites heated streaming debate
Fans have taken to social media to air their frustrations after the rapper announced his new album 4:44 would only be released on his music streaming site, Tidal
As if he’s not busy enough with his new twins, Beyonce’s husband and the now father of three, Jay-Z, has announced that he’ll be releasing his new album, 4:44, at the end of the month.
The platinum-selling rapper and founder of the brand Roc Nation will deliver his first studio album in nearly four years through an exclusive arrangement with the streaming service he co-owns, Tidal, in partnership with one of its primary investors, the phone carrier Sprint.
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The news was a marketing coup for Sprint and Tidal, and one with which Jay-Z is relatively familiar. His last work, 2013’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, was first made available to customers of electronics company Samsung.
This time around, Sprint has pledged to donate US$2 from every new line activation to its charitable arm dedicated to providing low-income high school students with internet access.
Jay-Z’s next album will be exclusive to TIDAL and Sprint customers for 6 months. Guess which album will be the most pirated of the year?
But the move has also appeared to irk a lot of his fans, many of whom are still smarting from an earlier Jay-Z initiative: pulling all of his albums from Tidal’s competitor, industry leader Spotify, in April.
