Jay Z's streaming service Tidal continues to be plagued by rumours that it's about to go belly-up, but evidently Prince is undeterred. The Purple One, who has a bit of complicated relationship with streaming services, has announced that his forthcoming album HITNRUN will be exclusive to Tidal.
This Joshua Welton-co-produced album with the backing band 3RDEYEGIRL will arrive on Tidal on September 7. This follows news from earlier this summer that Prince had pulled his music from all streaming services except Tidal, although his recent single "Stare" curiously arrived on Spotify last week.
Prince shared this statement about the Tidal deal:
After one meeting, it was obvious that Jay Z and the team he has assembled at TIDAL recognize and applaud the effort that real musicians put in 2 their craft 2 achieve the very best they can at this pivotal time in the music industry. Secondly, TIDAL have honoured Us with a non-restrictive arrangement that once again allows Us to continue making art in the fashion We've grown accustomed 2 and We're Extremely grateful 4 their generous support. And lastly, in the tech-savvy, real-time world We all live in 2day, everything is faster. From its conception and that one & only meeting, HITNRUN took about 90 days 2 prepare its release. If that's what freedom feels like, HITNRUN is what it sounds like.
Jay Z, meanwhile, said this:
Prince has always been a visionary, a free-thinker. We're honoured to offer his breadth of work, "1999," "Purple Rain," etc., music that has inspired so many, on TIDAL. We're also excited to be the home for his new upcoming album, HITNRUN. Both Prince and TIDAL share the belief that all creatives should have the opportunity to speak directly to those that love and support them. This partnership with Prince represents TIDAL's philosophy in its truest form, a 1 to 1 connection and direct delivery of artistry to the world.
This deal seems like a very bad idea and it's hard to imagine how Prince could possibly benefit from making HITNRUN exclusive to a floundering streaming service. Then again, this is the same guy who gave away his 2007 album Planet Earth as a covermount on a British newspaper, so it's hardly the first time he has employed a bizarre marketing strategy.
Hear the HITNRUN track "HARDROCKLOVER" below. The album is said to be "super funky," and 3RDEYEGIRL promised in a statement, "There are a lot of experimental sounds. It's just hit after hit and definitely caters to those fans who just love to hear what Prince has to say, rather than wanting to always hear that classic Purple Rain Prince sound."
This Joshua Welton-co-produced album with the backing band 3RDEYEGIRL will arrive on Tidal on September 7. This follows news from earlier this summer that Prince had pulled his music from all streaming services except Tidal, although his recent single "Stare" curiously arrived on Spotify last week.
Prince shared this statement about the Tidal deal:
After one meeting, it was obvious that Jay Z and the team he has assembled at TIDAL recognize and applaud the effort that real musicians put in 2 their craft 2 achieve the very best they can at this pivotal time in the music industry. Secondly, TIDAL have honoured Us with a non-restrictive arrangement that once again allows Us to continue making art in the fashion We've grown accustomed 2 and We're Extremely grateful 4 their generous support. And lastly, in the tech-savvy, real-time world We all live in 2day, everything is faster. From its conception and that one & only meeting, HITNRUN took about 90 days 2 prepare its release. If that's what freedom feels like, HITNRUN is what it sounds like.
Jay Z, meanwhile, said this:
Prince has always been a visionary, a free-thinker. We're honoured to offer his breadth of work, "1999," "Purple Rain," etc., music that has inspired so many, on TIDAL. We're also excited to be the home for his new upcoming album, HITNRUN. Both Prince and TIDAL share the belief that all creatives should have the opportunity to speak directly to those that love and support them. This partnership with Prince represents TIDAL's philosophy in its truest form, a 1 to 1 connection and direct delivery of artistry to the world.
This deal seems like a very bad idea and it's hard to imagine how Prince could possibly benefit from making HITNRUN exclusive to a floundering streaming service. Then again, this is the same guy who gave away his 2007 album Planet Earth as a covermount on a British newspaper, so it's hardly the first time he has employed a bizarre marketing strategy.
Hear the HITNRUN track "HARDROCKLOVER" below. The album is said to be "super funky," and 3RDEYEGIRL promised in a statement, "There are a lot of experimental sounds. It's just hit after hit and definitely caters to those fans who just love to hear what Prince has to say, rather than wanting to always hear that classic Purple Rain Prince sound."