Jay Z - The 'iTunes Store wasn't built in a day… Tidal is doing just fine'
Tidal music streaming service founder Jay Z has addressed critics of the app - which include musician Lily Allen – announcing to his Twitter followers that it is doing "just fine".
Launching into a flurry of tweets after Tidal dropped out of the US iPhone charts' top 700 most downloaded apps, the rapper issued the ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ defence.
He tweeted that the service had mustered 770,000 subscribers in less than a month.
Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day. It took Spotify 9 years to be successful…
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Jay Z also put the negative response to the service down to a "smear campaign".
There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign. We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
We made Tidal for fans. We have more than just music. We have video, exclusive concerts, tickets for events early, live sports!...
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
He also announced why the service should be attractive to indie artists.
Indie artists who want to work directly w/ us keep 100% of their music. "If you don't want the CEOs all in the videos" haa #tidalfacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers - not just the founding members on stage.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
To bolster the emphasis on smaller acts the service last week launched Tidal, a weekly programme devoted to the promotion of emerging and independent global artists from any genre.