TIDAL Lossless Streaming--Thoughts?

Withmusic definitely not bullish on TIDAL. Which is cool, I forget who it is that posts all over the boards here, but he always makes the great point of what a golden age we live in as far as music access goes. TIDAL could go exactly the way withmusic describes, I guess. But to me it's all good the more options that are out there. They can all have their little niches and selling points. As Jay Z himself put it, the other services don't have to lose for TIDAL to be successful in its own way. I am not really looking to be a cheerleader for this, if it drifts away from what I've liked about it, I can always move on.
 
Yup, just read about this. I see it opposite, a bad thing. What I see is the MOG/Beats thing all over again and TIDAL (or whatever it is going to be called) possibly dropping many genres to only support rap and teenage pop.

Yep, I sort of agree. I saw all the celebrities starting to come onboard. They even are talking about using some sort of blue patch on Twitter to signify some sort of commitment to Tidal.

I think he'll be as committed to audiophile quality as Dr. Dre is with Beats.

I don't know about shifting the content, but I think there will be more focus on content than the audio quality of the content. For many out there FLAC is synonymous with HiRez, but we know it is only part of the story.

He'll get it up and moving, but I don't think his focus will be the same as most posters here...
 
I'm still a Tidal Subscriber for another week, then have to decide if I continue or not.

With me, it's splitting hairs with my hearing distinguishing between 256 AAC and Lossless. Yes, I know Lossless is better, but it's a very minute difference with my hearing. Still, as an Audio Enthusiast, I want Lossless. Why not? It's there, so I want it. :)

I'll have to decide if I stay with Tidal in a few days. If they do drop genres, I'm gone anyway. I'm in it for Jazz and Standards first, Classic Rock and Classical second. I don't do Rap or Teenage Pop.

Oh well, in 5 years it will all be a different game anyway. We'll see what mergers, acquisitions and changes in Lossless Streaming become by 2020.

BTW;
I posted this in another Tidal thread, but IMO, the Tidal iPhone App is the most beautiful and functional music App I have ever used. I have an iPhone, an Android and a WindowsPhone. I have used mobile apps on all of them from just about any delivery company you can name, and the Tidal app on iPhone really impresses me.
 
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Oh well, in 5 years it will all be a different game anyway. We'll see what mergers, acquisitions and changes in Lossless Streaming become by 2020.

Yep.

I'm fine with Spotify right now, but I wish they had more Atlantic stuff...
 
:sigh: ... if Jazz & Classical music are where high res streamings strong points are to be found (makes sense by the way)... ouch, not a recipe for success in today's market.
 
Yep.

I'm fine with Spotify right now, but I wish they had more Atlantic stuff...

I have to say that Spotify is pretty damn good for my ears. I can see why you'd say that Andy. If I dump out of Tidal, I'll be OK with Spotify for the time being.

I spent so much time listening to and comparing 128 AAC, 256 AAC, 328 MP3, Amazon Prime Music, Xbox Music, Tidal, Spotify Free and then Spotify Premium. There comes a point where you are not even sure if you can hear a difference when you get into medium to high res comparisons. Best to choose a service you are happy with and call it a day.
 
:sigh: ... if Jazz & Classical music are where high res streamings strong points are to be found (makes sense by the way)... ouch, not a recipe for success in today's market.

True enough. It's the reason I subscribe to JazzRadio.com and their sister company RadioTunes.com.
For $7.00 a month (includes both sites), I'm happy with their resolution and their stations/playlists.

Jazz aficionados may not be a high demographic in today's music industry, but we exist in decent enough numbers to at least be able to find a high resolution source that delivers Jazz. Same with Classical, American Standards and Classic Rock. Genres that today's High School Kids would consider retirement home music ;) .
 
Yup, just read about this. I see it opposite, a bad thing. What I see is the MOG/Beats thing all over again and TIDAL (or whatever it is going to be called) possibly dropping many genres to only support rap and teenage pop.

That is beyond ridiculous. For one the 'Beats thing' was about Apple, pure and simple. You make it sound like Beats had some lifespan as standalone streamer after MOG. It didn't. They bought MOG and then went to the highest bidder.

So if you are saying TIDAL's purpose is to be bought out by a megacorp. then Jay-Z getting a whole bunch of major performers to come out in a huge promo seems like an odd move considering the premise is greater equity for performing artists. I would imagine that if he turned around and then sold it all those people on stage would feel like a-holes.

The post also makes it sound like Jay-Z and Dre are practically twins. Hate to break it to you but they are totally different people with totally different goals. Just a cursory glance at their careers shows right away that Dre. was ALWAYS about business (he's a producer after all) and Jay-Z has always been pro-artist (he did a performance art piece recently after all).

They are totally different people with different goals. Dre is not even the sole person behind beats. It's him and JIMMY IOVINE. It was JIMMY who told Dre to go for the headphone market. Jimmy and Dre. from the get-go were about $$$$. Did he and Dre lineup a whole bunch of artists announcing the goal of better equity for artists? If that doesn't paint a picture in contrast for you then I don't know what else to say.
 
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Couple of weeks ago watching a YouTube video from RMAF 14 w/ Moderators: Chris Connaker, Founder, Computer Audiophile and Pål Bråtelund, TIDAL ...
at about the 11 minute mark Pat B (Tidal) made a statement that they don't rip CDs (like many people think) .... they get truck loads of hard drives from record labels. Interesting ... I didn't know that.

That's what I've always assumed because frankly I think Tidal lossless sounds better than CD a lot of the time.
 
Withmusic definitely not bullish on TIDAL. Which is cool, I forget who it is that posts all over the boards here, but he always makes the great point of what a golden age we live in as far as music access goes. TIDAL could go exactly the way withmusic describes, I guess. But to me it's all good the more options that are out there. They can all have their little niches and selling points. As Jay Z himself put it, the other services don't have to lose for TIDAL to be successful in its own way. I am not really looking to be a cheerleader for this, if it drifts away from what I've liked about it, I can always move on.

Interesting point about Jay Z (I'll call him another rapper guy) stating that other services don't have to lose for Tidal to be successful. I think that is partly true. However, remember, it's a business in a world of competitors and he wants to make more money so he can have his little empire, so somebody has to lose (usually the consumer at the end of the day).
Also to hear the press say it "Jay Z takes on Spotify" Jay Z and Tidal to unseat Spotify and other services" etc. Of course, the press likes to make a big deal out of everything.
 
Yep, I sort of agree. I saw all the celebrities starting to come onboard. They even are talking about using some sort of blue patch on Twitter to signify some sort of commitment to Tidal.

I think he'll be as committed to audiophile quality as Dr. Dre is with Beats.

I don't know about shifting the content, but I think there will be more focus on content than the audio quality of the content. For many out there FLAC is synonymous with HiRez, but we know it is only part of the story.

He'll get it up and moving, but I don't think his focus will be the same as most posters here...

Dr Dre was not very committed to audiophile quality. For evidence just look at his bass heavy cans and how long he had Beats music service = didn't even make it a year.
I'm very much in favor of true artists being paid fairly and all of that. That's part of the reason I still purchase CDs, DVDs and such. However, must of the rip-off artists get is from the record companies, not plain folk. Taylor Swift and party should be mad at their labels, not streaming services.
Tidal still has no jazz to speak of if that is any indication of where music interests lie.
I just have the gut feeling that this is more flash than substance and it will go the way of MOG and Beats and such.
It's a shame too, because I was fixing to give TIDAL a try, but now I see no reason to do so.
 
That is beyond ridiculous. For one the 'Beats thing' was about Apple, pure and simple. You make it sound like Beats had some lifespan as standalone streamer after MOG. It didn't. They bought MOG and then went to the highest bidder.

So if you are saying TIDAL's purpose is to be bought out by a megacorp. then Jay-Z getting a whole bunch of major performers to come out in a huge promo seems like an odd move considering the premise is greater equity for performing artists. I would imagine that if he turned around and then sold it all those people on stage would feel like a-holes.

The post also makes it sound like Jay-Z and Dre are practically twins. Hate to break it to you but they are totally different people with totally different goals. Just a cursory glance at their careers shows right away that Dre. was ALWAYS about business (he's a producer after all) and Jay-Z has always been pro-artist (he did a performance art piece recently after all).

They are totally different people with different goals. Dre is not even the sole person behind beats. It's him and JIMMY IOVINE. It was JIMMY who told Dre to go for the headphone market. Jimmy and Dre. from the get-go were about $$$$. Did he and Dre lineup a whole bunch of artists announcing the goal of better equity for artists? If that doesn't paint a picture in contrast for you then I don't know what else to say.

You have your opinion and I have mine, so what?
 
Yes, you're going to have to do specific searches for artists, albums, collaborations to find content. Also check related artists
 
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Jay Z going all in on this thing. Anybody see the long ad TIDAL ran during the Final Four last night? Services obviously can't survive without subscribers. For those of us who kind of like TIDAL and, more importantly, would like to see as many different options out there as possible, good to see the full commitment there appears to be with this. I certainly have a little concern that it has the feel of the "rich getting richer" and less about being for the "little guy" artists. But I do think, in general, it is encouraging to have artists (even if they are mostly superstars) of different genres involved, at least on some level.
 
I am certainly enjoying my Tidal subscription - I am currently sitting on the loveseat with my beautiful bride, streaming some old Jethro Tull that I have never heard before. I can choose the albums, in the order that they were released during the band's career. Not only that, there is a great simple biography with hotlinks to the albums, regarding the band. I have no idea who writes the biography - it could be scammed from wiki, for all I know. I do know that it is very useful and interesting, to me. Most of the artists/bands have this information associated.

The offline function is pretty sweet, too, and works well with my Nexus 5 and the Android app.

Now, I am no jazz aficionado, but when I search under that genre, especially for specific artists, I find many, many selections available - definitely more choices than what I could afford if I tried to purchase hard copies of the music.

As far as the politics and the financial remuneration to the artists, I am a bit undereducated, so will refrain from comment. All I know is that there are probably some really smart people on both sides of the argument, each with their own goals and interests in mind. I also believe that there are still people who genuinely have others best interests in mind - I refuse to believe that our society has become completely immoral, regardless of what the media/internet portray. We just like car crashes, fires and train wrecks, for some reason, and that is what is often pandered to. After all, the media has a product to sell as well.

I will give Jay Z the benefit of the doubt and will trust that he intends to support fellow artists, until he shows otherwise.
 
Sounds like a wonderful afternoon of music and a beautiful lady, Tensleep. You are a lucky man. My girlfriend HATES Jazz and would not sit with me for a second to listen. Other music, not too bad, but she doesn't like "sitting" and listening to anything. She's a TV and Reading fan. Oh well.

As I posted earlier or in another Tidal thread (we've got a few of them going), I have been impressed with a few things. Obviously the audio quality. However, I also love;

1.) The iPhone app. Amazing. Fantastic. Actually the very finest smartphone music app (I have iPhone, Android and WindowsPhone) I have ever had the pleasure of using.

2.) The offline quality. Being able to download and listen later is nice in lossless. It spoils you.

3.) The selection. I posted earlier that I thought the Jazz offerings were way too lean. Not so. You can't just search under the genre, you have to search by artist, but when you do, a plethora of selections populate your screen. I AM a Jazz aficionado and I've been VERY happy with the Jazz offerings of Tidal. Very pleasantly surprised.

Tidal is now offering a lower resolution subscription for 1/2 the price of the lossless subscription. Personally, I'd spring for the lossless, but if for some reason I could not afford 20 bucks a month, for 10 bucks and the iPhone app, I'd stick with Tidal.
 
To reiterate what I posted in another thread here I think Tidal Hi Fi , Jay-Z and his crew are onto something with a 16/44 stream . It's great to be able to sample and listen to the various arrangements ,originals and remasters and sound quality of the same tunes by the same artists on different albums and singles available there @ 16/44 sometimes you find some diamonds like that.

I'm down for a permanent subscription . One thing about Jay -Z is a lot of his stuff is pretty decent sound wise even if you might not like the content or genra .

I look at Tidal Hi Fi as a virtual 25 million ( or whatever ) CD track rip collection in the cloud all tagged up and everything already just coming off their servers instead of mine with alternatively a $19.95 mo. investment instead of buying 2 CD's a month and more hdd's for the NAS or paying $10.00 a month for an mp3 stream .

I'm hoping Tidal does well I'm liking it way better than 320kbps mp3 streams . Jay-Z knows the the music business and all the right people not to mention Tim Cook over at Apple being a bud can't hurt.

Only thing is the Tidal search engine is stupid for now genre search is totally useless there It ain't like Google . like BillyBatts says you have to use different search parameters if something doesn't come up under the genre , song selection or whatever e.g, use artist instead and when you find that you will see albums and tracks and included albums etc etc .

With a net worth $560 million by himself not counting co owner and wifey Beyoncé's $450 million stash Jay -Z has obviously made some good business moves and it ain't like he needs the money after all .
 
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