Los Angeles, CA — Jay-Z has 99 problems, and a poorly planned press conference is one! The multi-platinum rapper and business mogul recently held a press conference for Tidal, his new two-tiered music service that will allow fans to listen to unlimited music for either $9.99 or $19.99 per month. With a presentation that included himself, Alicia Keys, Madonna, Beyonce, Daft Punk, and many others, they emphasized their message that artists deserve more money for their work.
1) Failure to Convince Fans Why They Should Pay: Spotify, an existing similar service, streams music for free to listeners and pays artists based on advertising revenue that is generated. So fans are asking a very valid question: Why should I pay for something that I can already get for free?
2) Failure to Be Different: After the press conference, fans immediately start posting messages on social media saying that the Tidal platform looks just like Spotify. PasteMagazine.com reports: “Tidal’s ‘Playlists’ section is a point-by-point reproduction of Spotify’s ‘Genres & Moods’: square photos are overlayed with black and illustrated with white icon. As for the overall design of the service? All-black interface, sans-serif typeface, left-hand navigation, bottom play button – check, check, check and check.”
3) Failure to Get Sympathy From the Fans: Critics say that the press conference appeared to be a bunch of wealthy musicians on stage asking for yet more money. Some say it seemed that they were even “demanding” that their fans give them more money. This did not sit well with the average person whose annual salary is no where near millions of dollars a year.
And the backlash is not over; It continues to be a viral subject on social media, and likely it will have a great impact on the official launch of Tidal. Some say it’s a PR nightmare for the company which Jay-Z reportedly bought last year for $48 million.
For more details about the company, visit www.tidal.com