Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 24 hours, you are probably aware of the questionable display of the music industries big named players last night, gathering on stage to sign a piece of paper that nobody was quite sure actually was, but, apparently they were about to ‘make music history’. The likes of Beyonce, Jack White and Madonna changed twitter pictures, profile images, and cover photos in the build up to the event-to a plain blue square; inevitably sending social media into a hyped frenzy, in the run up to what last night was revealed through the trending #TIDALforALL. Apart from collectively managing to ferment how rich and out of touch these artists are, what was it that they were actually declaring?

Founder Jay Z has explained the new streaming platform Tidal as being an attempt to ‘Strike an honest blow’ in shaping the way music is going. He then went on to compare music to water and claimed that the $20 system would be available to everyone. Still confused? Don’t worry; Alicia Keys clears things up…“This is a game changer for real. This is for the people by the people, you know?”

Unfortunately, the whole production just seems to have fallen a little short. What was obviously intended as a mass display of a social justice for musicians and fans alike, has just felt like another capitalistic venture. Kanye, Daft Punk, Usher and friends stood in a unified congregation whilst they one by one took it in turns to sign for the new world order, sorry I mean, music streaming venture. Imagine this- you cancel your Spotify subscription, scrap those itunes purchases, as with the more expensive Tidal, you’re able to get a ‘higher quality service’ that’s ‘artist owned’-because its about time we fans gave a little something back right? I mean Calvin Harris, Nicki Minaj and Chris Martin have been living in poverty-stricken conditions for far too long (to be honest, I would pay for a subscription for Chris Martin to NOT make anymore music)

I have to point out that I am actually all for a changing step in the digital age as to how we consume music. It is unfortunate that in 2015 we would rather spend £15 in a shitty chain restaurant than purchase a hard copy of a decent CD or record. The amount of gigs and live events I have been to, in which you can spot the deserted merch table, accompanied by a hapless ‘friend of the band’, in an attempt to flog laboured over demos and EP’s often sold with ‘one off’ hand drawn art work and covers. Their efforts, unfortunately, always seems hopeless, as the CD displays remain untouched, and gig goers amble home to look for a ‘free stream’. This is the sad state of the 21^st century digital music industry, and a supporting platform surely would be a welcome proposal. There’s a huge opportunity to combine the genuine appreciation and support of artists and musicians within the digital world. The incline of great accessibility to music and the decline of quality is not a coincidence; Note & Point, have you heard the tragic Nicki Minaj album ‘Pinkprint’-that was streamed over 16.8 billion times in its first week?! It is inarguable that the music industry is becoming harder and harder to crack for those who don’t necessarily have the funds to begin with. More artists and bands dominating the UK charts come from wealthier backgrounds than ever before, and bands are expected to produce, tour and promote from the comfort of their own back pockets.

There is no denying that last night events did underline the huge influence that these (musicians?) have on todays social media driven society, and the sheer speed they can get literally millions of people talking about the same thing. Unfortunately the result of that is Tidal, the music subscription service, and not a revolutionary suggestion to solve global poverty. The presentation ended with a video that included a serious looking Jay Z stare into the camera and let all of us feeble non billionaires know that Tidal is about to ‘change the course of history’, and then they all trotted off stage to champagne toast how awesome they all are.

#TIDALforALL-lets make the rich richer.

 

 

@katiemux