If you’ve been on Twitter over the past few hours, you may have noticed the #Tidal4All trending topic, and wondered what it’s all about. Is it a fundraising campaign for those affected by flooding? An eco-friendly movement to help raise awareness about rising tides? No, sorry. It’s a campaign to bring attention to a new music streaming service, which is backed by some of the world’s most well-known, and richest musicians.
The service is Tidal, and it’s actually being re-launched, following the $56 million acquisition of its parent company Aspiro by rapper Jay Z earlier this month. It’s available online, or using an iOS or Android app, and the big selling point is its lossless, high fidelity audio quality tracks. Except thanks to its new high-profile owner, it’s the celebrity backing which has propelled it into the mainstream.
Together, we can turn the tide and make music history. Start by turning your profile picture blue. #TIDALforALL
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) March 30, 2015
It’s not only the use of the #Tidal4All hashtag that’s helping Tidal gain attention on Twitter, but also the big-name musicians and bands who are changing their profile images and backgrounds to a fetching turquoise color. Who’s in on the game? Kanye West, Rihanna, Deadmau5, Madonna, Usher, Coldplay, and of course, Jay Z and Beyonce have all gone blue.
Little is known about Tidal’s relaunch at the moment, other than it’s being rebranded to TidalHiFi, Taylor Swift’s catalog is available, and the whole thing is likely to cost $20/£20 per month to stream the lossless tracks, double that of main rival Spotify. A $10/£10 option for standard streaming is also available. Jay Z will host a launch event on March 30 to reveal more about the newly updated service.
In the meantime, the Twitter campaign continues, and #Tidal4All is the top trending topic in the U.S. and in the UK, at the time of writing. Apparently, according to Nicki Minaj, Twitterers should all change their own avatars “in support of what is fair, or what is the future.” However, not everyone is willing to ride the star-studded, and apparently self-serving, Tidal wave.
Change your avi in support of what is fair, of what is the future. The tides have changed, Barbz.… https://t.co/UqGLHerO37 — NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) March 30, 2015
#AntiTidal and #Tidal4None hashtags are already gaining attention, where the primary complaint is either about rich artists promoting a premium-priced streaming music service, or not using their considerable social media clout for a charitable, or philanthropic purpose.
The plan behind Tidal will become clear following Jay Z’s presentation later today. We’ll keep you updated.
