Wondering what the #TIDALforALL is about?

Tidal, the music streaming service recently purchased by Jay-Z, will re-launch today at 5PM EST. It’s expected to rival Spotify and other similar music services.

The difference? Tidal has been supported by a variety of artists, including Beyoncé, Madonna, Deadmau5, Kanye West and Taylor Swift.

The service boasts high quality audio and video (which means music videos!), an audio search function (aka Shazam/SoundHound built-in!), and articles, features, and interviews by artists.

And it’s ad-free.

The catch? It costs ~$10/month for TIDAL Premium, and ~$20/month for TIDAL HiFi, but there’s no free version.*

*Luckily, the website offers a 30-day free trial that lets you test the waters to see if this new service is actually worth investing in, and if it will make a splash in the territorial waters in which Spotify seems to have so firmly anchored.

I signed up for the 30-day free trial to see what the hype is all about.

Pros: Livestreams, customized playlists, music videos, and “expertly curated” content.

As far as I can tell, the content that Tidal offers is very similar to what Spotify has. It has “Relax”, “Party”, “Workout”, and other types of playlists, The only major difference that I’ve discovered is the access to T-Swift (as of last Tuesday!). The question remains: How deep does your love for Tay go?

Cons: Tidal is still pretty streamlined and straightforward, unlike SoundCloud, which encourages musical innovation through the posting of multiple remixes, flips, and reworks of tracks.

Also, you can’t post external links/embeds to websites like WordPress. :(

The cost is also a barrier that I predict will stop many potential consumers from engaging. Many will not see enough difference between Spotify, which offers a popular free version, and will not convert unless TIDAL makes its way into the mainstream.

If TIDAL offered a student discount, I’m sure many college kids would reconsider… nudge nudge, hint hint

In a press conference tonight, Jay-Z is expected to make a special announcement concerning Tidal. I can’t wait!

#TIDALforALL