• How Will Rihanna's 'Bitch Better Have My Money' Be Affetced by Exclusive Tidal Streaming Rights?

    The biggest announcement in the music industry last week was the details of Tidal, a new streaming service kickstarted by Jay Z and held by a number of big-name performers such as Beyoncé, Kanye West, Jason Aldean and Jack White. The future looks promising for the service as part owner Rihanna has released two tracks—"Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen"—for exclusive streaming on the service. Billboard brings up a good question however: How will serving Tidal exclusively affect the way a song or album charts?

  • Jay Z Pulls 'Reasonable Doubt' from Spotify, Leaves It on Tidal; Will More Owners Pull Out of Spotify Soon?

    The first shots may have been fired in Tidal's quest to dominate the streaming world Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt has disappeared from competitor Spotify. However, those with a Tidal subscription see that they can still stream the debut album from the rapper and part owner in the service, suggesting that this is a symbolic shot from Hov to demonstrate how much power he (and the rest of Tidal's part owners) holds in this game.

  • Jay Z Dishes on TIDAL and Labels

    Jay Z continues his media tour to support the launch of his newly acquired streaming service TIDAL. Yesterday, April 1, HOV spoke at New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recording Music and fielded questions from the inquisitive crowd of students who grilled him on a variety of topics, including how TIDAL benefits artists, how it is different from other services and its relationships with labels. Sitting with company executive Vania Schlogel, he also revealed more details about how the service works. He said TIDAL pays the highest royalty percentage and that he does not have a record deal.

  • Jay Z, Timbaland Big Pimpin' Sample Lawsuit Likely Heading to Trial

    After nearly eight years of litigation, Jay Z's lingering lawsuit of the allegedly improper use of an Egyptian sample by his then producer, Timbaland (co-defendant in the case), is likely headed to court. The trial is set tentatively scheduled for October 13 after the judge indicated she would likely deny the plaintiff, Osama Ahmed Fahmy's motion for summary judgment against the "Magna Carta" rapper. The lawsuit is centered on the song, "Khosara, Khosara" used in the 1960 Egyptian film "Fata ahlami, which was turned into the hook for Jay Z and Timbaland's 2000 hit "Big Pimpin'".

  • Spotify, Playstation Music Partnership Officially Launched

    Spotify and Sony have officially launched their previously announced partnership to have the Swedish streaming company power their rebranded Playstation Music, which is serviced to all users on Sony's array of gaming consoles like the Playstation 4. Playstation Music is available for both free and premium Spotify customers and works when you use the app on your phone or tablet. Gamers can choose from their already created Spotify playlists and can pick from a new set of gaming-centric lists curated by the company. Users can control levels and song selection from the app.

  • Lily Allen Thinks Jay Z's Tidal Streaming Service Will Increase Traffic to Pirating Sites, Hurt Indie Artists

    Jay Z's new streaming service Tidal is getting support from some of the biggest names in music, with everyone from Kanye West to Arcade Fire to Rihanna and Jack White holding a stake in the relaunched company. But there's one pop star who isn't buying these 16 musicians' claims that Tidal is the start of a musical revolution: Lily Allen. The high price point for the new service has the Sheezus singer wondering if music fans will be driven back to pirating websites.

  • Jay Z Officially Launches Tidal

    It is official: Jay Z's move into the music streaming business has arrived and he is bringing a lot of his friends with him. At an industry event today at New York City's James A. Farley Post Office in Herald Square, Jay Z announced the launch of TIDAL with his 16 artist partners. The event was live streamed as Jay Z announced his plans for the Hi-FI service with Madonna, Kanye West, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Usher, deadmau5, Jason Aldean, Jack White, Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Arcade Fire's Win Butler, Alicia Keys, Coldplay and Calvin Harris.

  • The Haxan Cloak Accuses Jay Z's TIDAL of Ripping Him Off

    Jay Z's newly launched TIDAL music streaming service is looking to be the knight in shining armor for the music industry, but it has already stumbled. The service that claims to be for artists apparently used a song in its star-studded trailer TIDALforALL video released earlier today, March 30, without permission from the artist. Björk's musical collaborator The Haxan Cloak took to Twitter to explain the situation and explain that the track may not be exactly his but an imitation, which is just as large a problem. His label Tri Angle Records has backed him up in this as well. The ad appears to reference two Haxan songs "Mara" and "The Mirror Reflecting, Pt. 1" from his 2013 studio album 'Excavation.' Check out the tweets below.

  • Rihanna Denies New Album 'R8' Will Be Released with Launch of Jay Z's Tidal Streaming Service

    There's a big splash rising on social media today (March 30), as the impending re-launch of Jay Z's new streaming service Tidal inches ever closer. With big name stars like Rihanna, Coldplay, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Taylor Swift and more throwing their support behind the hi-fi Spotify competitor, surely a new album or big announcement is set to come during the 5 p.m. press conference, right? Well, if you're expecting Rihanna's hotly anticipated "R8" album, you're still in for a long wait.

  • Kendrick Vs. Everybody: How Did 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Sell Compared to Recents from Kanye West, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj and More?

    Kendrick Lamar was certainly king of the Billboard 200 this week, as To Pimp A Butterfly sold three times as many copies as any other record on the market during the last week. Part of the hip-hop game, more so than any other genre, is arguing about who's no. 1. Generally that means a ranking of who can drop the best bars, but money—regardless of what Jay Z and Jermaine Dupri tell you—is most certainly a thang. So how does the most hyped performer in recent years stack up against industry giants in terms of sales?

  • 5 Surprising Hip-Hop Ghostwriters: Will Smith, Dr. Dre and Jim Jones Had Curious Helpers with These Hits

    The hot news in hip-hop today is the rumor that Compton rapper Skeme may have ghostwritten songs for Iggy Azalea, including "Fancy," the no. 4 song of 2014. This news probably surprises no one, despite denials from the performer herself and mentor T.I. that anyone else had a hand in crafting her hits. And if anyone is that shocked or appalled by the news...perhaps they should check out the history of hip-hop. You'll be surprised at how many songs are actually written by the least likely of performers. Here are just a few examples.
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