Jay Z Reveals Plans for Tidal, a Streaming Music Service

On Monday, Jay Z, the rapper and entertainment mogul, announced his plans for Tidal, a subscription streaming service he recently bought for $56 million. Facing competition from Spotify, Google and other companies that will soon include Apple, Tidal will be fashioned as a home for high-fidelity audio and exclusive content.

​Image Credit: consequenceofsound.net 

But perhaps the most notable part of Jay Z’s strategy is that a majority of the company will be owned by artists. The move may bring financial benefits for those involved, but it is also powerfully symbolic in a business where musicians have seldom had direct control over how their work is consumed.

“This is a platform that’s owned by artists,” Jay Z said in an interview last week as he prepared for the news conference announcing the service. “We are treating these people that really care about the music with the utmost respect.”

The plan was unveiled on Monday at a brief but highly choreographed news conference in Manhattan, where Jay Z stood alongside more than a dozen musicians identified as Tidal’s owners. They included Rihanna, Kanye West, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Jack White, Alicia Keys, the country singer Jason Aldean, the French dance duo Daft Punk (in signature robot costumes), members of Arcade Fire, and Beyoncé.

Early Monday, artists associated with Tidal began promoting the service on social media through the tag #TIDALforALL. That stirred excitement among fans, although some in the music business and the technology world remain skeptical about Tidal’s chances against players like Apple and Spotify.

The stars stood side-by-side and signed an unspecified “declaration.” Jay Z did not speak, but Ms. Keys read a statement expressing the musicians’ wish “to forever change the course of music history.” 

Several artists have already thrown their support behind TIDAL, changing their Twitter icons to light blue and tweeting the hashtag #TIDALForAll. Among them, Kanye West, Jack White’s Third Man Records, and Arcade Fire:

​

There are two paid subscription options: $19.99 a month for high-fidelity audio, and $9.99 for standard quality audio. TIDAL can be streamed on the web, and downloaded for iOS and Android devices.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

A Summary of NBA All Star Weekend in NYC

The City had a huge weekend and was host to many events this very cold February weekend. There was the NBA All Star Weekend, Fashion Week, the star-studded Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special and a huge concert full of hiphop heavyweights. What do these events have in common? Kanye West was at each one of them.

Image Credit: sandrarose.com 

The stars migrated from L.A. for the Grammys to New York for Fashion Week. On Thursday, Kanye West presented his first Yeezy collection with Adidas Originals, and all the big names were in attendance.

The front row was a who’s who of music and fashion elite including Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Diddy, Cassie, 2 Chainz, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Pop queens Rihanna and Beyonce snapped a photo together backstage, while hip-hop moguls Jay Z and Diddy supported Kanye and his new collection.

Image Credit: hiphop-n-more.com

History was made on Thursday night when the East Coast and West Coast united for Hot 97’s “Tip-Off” concert hosted by Diddy and Snoop Dogg at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The star-studded event, which kicked off NBA All-Star Weekend, featured surprise guests, reunions, and plenty of nostalgia, bringing out guests such as Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Dr. Dre, T.I., Lil Kim, The Lox, Kanye West, Nas, and many more during an unforgettable live event.

Diddy’s all-star lineup of guests included Busta Rhymes, Jermaine Dupri, and Kanye West, who performed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing." Black Rob guested on “Whoa!” and Diddy reunited R&B group 112, who performed their 2001 hit “Peaches & Cream” and the Notorious B.I.G. tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” backed by Faith Evans and a choir. Nas hit the stage for “Hate Me Now” and “Made You Look,” while Naughty by Nature served their classics “O.P.P.” and “Hip Hop Hooray.”  Snoop Dogg brought out Dr. Dre for “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang." Then T.I who performed “About the Money.” The crowd went crazy when Lil’ Kim and The Lox  performed “Money, Power & Respect” and “It’s All About the Benjamins,” and Diddy’s son Christian Combs filled in for Ma$e on “Been Around the World.”

Other guests included Big Sean, Keyshia Cole, Doug E. Fresh, 2 Chainz, French Montana, A$AP Ferg, O.T. Genasis, Troy Ave, and ILoveMakonnen.

Image Credit: nba-events.com

It was NBA All-Star weekend, but it seemed as if all the stars in the celeb world were taking part in the swanky dinners, posh parties and concerts before Sunday's big game.

 

Official All-Star events, like Friday's celebrity game and Saturday's skills competition, attracted Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Mo'ne Davis and Floyd Mayweather, but other events had star power, too.

On Friday night, Nas and Drake gave a concert that featured Kanye West, while James held court at a dinner thrown at the Italian eatery Carbone by Beats. Farther away, All-Star John Wall had his own dinner at STK with Luc Belaire, where he mingled with guests, including rapper Pusha T and actress Keke Palmer.

On Saturday afternoon, Derek Jeter gathered his former Yankee teammate C.C. Sabathia, quarterback Russell Wilson, and others to discuss the launch of his after-career venture, the Players Tribune, a digital media company designed to give athletes a platform to tell their own stories; a late night launch party followed with a performance from rapper Common.

Sunday's game attracted some big-name musical talent, including a performance by Christina Aguilera and Nas before the start of the action. Among those attending the game was former President Bill Clinton, who sat with former NBA basketball player Dikembe Mutombo. Others seen at the game include film director Spike Lee and comedian Chris Tucker.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj provided the halftime entertainment, while Tamia sang the Canadian national anthem and Queen Latifah performed an acoustic version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Russell Westbrook with his 3s, dunks, and swagger, was perfect for the All-Star Game. The Hawks played best when they were together, sharing the ball and making plays. LeBron James  had 30 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. However, much like the weather in New York, Carmello Anthony was frozen this weekend.  

Article by: Christine O'Connor

Twitter: @ChristineeeeO