If you feel like this is the first time you’ve heard anything about Tidal since its ill-fated launch two months ago, that’s probably because it is. Following the notoriously poor reception of the streaming platform – which boasts little competitive advantage other than its high royalty payouts – not a lot of newsworthy updates have come from its camp. However, it looks as though they intend to use deadmau5 to change that.
Following an expansion into original programming as well as the possible recruitment of a former SoundCloud executive, Tidal appears eager to position itself for a massive do-over by announcing a December 18th event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center which will be free to all Tidal subscribers. Featuring performances by deadmau5 and Pusha T, the event will also showcase performances by Tidal “Rising Artists” D.R.A.M., Justine Skye, The Cold Seas and Slonk Donkerson.
That’s great and all, but will the event actually serve to jumpstart Tidal’s subscriber base? Probably not. As noble a statement as the platform makes, the company’s founders seem oblivious to the reality that services like SoundCloud and Spotify become popular due to a combination of functional convenience and innovative marketing – two things that Tidal has undeniably lacked since its inception.
Nobody’s complaining that it pays out higher royalties per play than any similar service, but until it plays a user-beneficial role that none of its competitors do and figures out a way to communicate that to them, it’s doomed to revel in obscurity.
That said, a free deadmau5 show is admittedly enough to make me wish that I was a Tidal subscriber – even if only for a passing moment.
Published: Dec 9, 2015 12:57 pm