Tidal

Stagnant Streams: How streaming killed the charts

/ James Fenney

spotify-logo

Let’s be honest with ourselves, for as long as the charts have existed they have had to be taken with a pinch of salt. “Chart topping” music and good music rarely coincide, and any institution that gives Mr Blobby a number 1 single can’t be said to represent the best music in the country. Even so chart placings remain a source of pride for up and coming artists who rightly celebrate them as a milestone. However with the new rules in place to allow streaming figures to contribute to chart positions it could end up being the final nail in the coffin for this longstanding music institution. Continue reading →

Restricted Access Albums: A worrying trend

/ James Fenney

tidal

These days more than ever music is all about business. Less about the art and more about the money, which has sadly gotten far worse since the advent of streaming services. A world where all music is readily available to everyone at the touch of a button is a music mogul’s worst nightmare. As such the industry has been coming up with more and more nefarious ways to squeeze some extra pennies out of us, the latest of which involves making albums only available to an exclusive group. Continue reading →

Beatles discography added to streaming sites

/ James Fenney

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Christmas has come early for fans of the Fab Four. The entire Beatles back-catalogue has been added to streaming services worldwide including Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and Deezer. Thus far ‘Let It Be’ is the most streamed track. ACDC added their music to streaming services earlier in the year, whereas modern artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele have resisted allowing their music on the sites. Odd that it’s the old artists that are more open to embracing the future of music.

Apple unveils new streaming service

/ James Fenney

apple-music

During a conference in San Francisco it was announced Apple Music will launch at the end of the month and will be available on all Apple devices. The system’s unique features include a 24/7 radio station hosted by former Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, A supposedly more advanced music recommendation system, a social network that allows fans to connect with artists and siri compatibility to allow voice commands. Whilst I think this new service is miles ahead of rival service Tidal, it is still behind Spotify as only Spotify offers an ad-supported free service. Work needs to be done to make sure the new Apple music and it’s features are to the highest standard if it is to live up to it’s subscription fee.

Tidal streaming service relaunch

/ James Fenney

tidal

The music streaming service Tidal, which was bought out by rapper Jay Z, has been relaunched and rebranded as being owned by the artists. The co-owners of the business, including Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rihanna, Madonna, Daft Punk, Nicki Minaj, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris and Alicia Keys, hosted a conference in New York. Their aim was to create a better platform for music streaming which provided high quality audio and where a greater percentage of the profits go to the artists. Continue reading →