4:44 is the title of Jay Z’s 13th album, and it is launching exclusively on Tidal at 12 AM ET. For fans of the rap superstar who have not been able to subscriber to Tidal before that time, they will not be able to gain access to the album. According to a report recently published by The Verge, only those who are subscribers of Sprint will be able to sign up for Tidal after 12 AM ET, and accordingly enjoy access to the Grammy award winning rapper’s latest effort.
Some may remember that at the start of this year, the fourth biggest wireless carrier in America had funneled $75 million into Tidal in order to enjoy exclusives from the music streaming subscription service, that is, as part of Sprint’s investment in Tidal (more on this later). For those not familiar with Tidal exclusives, they are typically made available to any user who subscribes to the streaming service before or after an exclusive release.
But because Jay Z’s 4:44 has been made exclusive to the major US wireless carrier and existing Tidal subscribers, it appears now that the only way to get hold of the rapper’s latest album immediately after it launches is to become a customer of Sprint. As for those current subscribers of Sprint who do want to become customers of Tidal (and then get to enjoy access to Jay Z’s latest album upon release), they should have nothing to worry about, but should make sure to sign up for Tidal as soon as possible.
Back in January early this year, Sprint had acquired one third of Tidal. For those not in the know, the music streaming subscription service happens to be owned by Jay Z (he purchased the brand about a couple of years ago, paying a sum of $56 million) as well as other musical artists. At the time of the move, industry watchers had believed that Sprint was looking to provide its own subscribers with unlimited access to tracks and albums made exclusive only to Tidal. As of five months ago, Sprint had some 45 million subscribers, which would have given Tidal a boost if the carrier’s customers also opted to avail of the music streaming subscription service. Tidal offers an extensive catalog consisting of more than 42 million tracks, plus around 140,000 music videos from a wide range of music stars, and it allows customers to choose a plan from a two tier subscription structure, with the basic option available at $10 a month, while the high end plans priced at $20 monthly.
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https://www.wirefly.com/blog/news/your-guide-sprint-s-deal-tidal-regarding-new-jay-z-album