Jay Z Defends Tidal in Twitter Spree

After a lavish launch, Jay Z's streaming service Tidal has been hit with some bad press as of late. Artists like Ben Gibbard and Mumford & Sons have publicly criticized the streaming service, and Tidal's app dropped off the iTunes charts rather abruptly. All of this has caused Jay Z to defend the service in a series of tweets.

On Twitter, the rap mogul pointed out that Tidal is still a very new service, and that it has already gotten three quarters of a million subscribers in less than a month. He accused bigger companies of started a "smear campaign" against Tidal, saying that his company was looking to grow and improve.

He also countered claims that Tidal was too exclusive and only benefited the extremely rich, successful artists who were part of the aforementioned launch (such as Madonna, Rihanna, Jack White, Daft Punk and more). He tweeted that all artists get high royalty rates, not just the founders who appeared on stage. He reiterated Tidal's position as an artist-friendly platform.

See the full string of tweets below.

Stream of consciousness coming in 5, 4, 3, 2… #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day. It took Spotify 9 years to be successful…

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign. We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

We made Tidal for fans. We have more than just music. We have video, exclusive concerts, tickets for events early, live sports!...

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

….Tidal is where artists can give their fans more without the middlemen. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Indie artists who want to work directly w/ us keep 100% of their music. "If you don't want the CEOs all in the videos" haa #tidalfacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers - not just the founding members on stage.

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Rich getting richer? Equity values... YouTube $390 billion. Apple $760 billion. Spotify $8 billion. Tidal $60 million. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

My cousin just moved to Nigeria to discover new talent. Tidal is a global company.

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

We have Tidal X - it supports artists by giving them a platform to connect with their most loyal fans. Tidal is for all. #Tidalfacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Our actions will speak louder than words. We made Tidal to bring people the best experiences...

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

and to help artists give that to their fans over and over again…

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

We are human (even Daft Punk ha). We aren't perfect - but we are determined. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015