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Tidal Introduces Free Tier & Direct To Artist Payouts

By: London JennnCategory: News

Tidal has announced a new payment model, including a free subscription option, improved sound quality, and fan-cantered royalties.

Tidal have revamped their payment model and subscription packages to include a free option for the first time ever.  

On Wednesday (Nov. 17) Tidal announced the rebrand of their streaming services offering the new free tier. Users can create memberships at no cost and listen to the full Tidal catalog with “limited interruptions.” 

Furthermore, an additional two tiers are tailored specifically for users who want higher-fidelity sound quality. HiFi offers improved sound quality, no ads, and offline listening for $9.99 a month. HiFi Plus comes in at $19.99 a month and introduces a groundbreaking new artist payment model. This tier also offers features, including direct-to-artist payments.  

“We’re working to create a place that is better for artists and their fans. Because we love music. And the artists who create it. And the fans who crave it,” it was announced via Twitter. “Today we’re sharing progress on some new stuff: TIDAL Free, $10 HiFi, Direct Artist Payouts, and Fan-Centered Royalties.” 

The streaming platform explained that HiFi Plus will allow users to put money directly into the pockets of their favorite artists.  

“New: Direct Artist Payouts. This program will give artists access to another payment stream by allocating 10% of monthly subscriptions at the HiFi Plus tier to each listener’s most streamed artist. Artists can now benefit directly from their biggest fans on TIDAL.” 

Another new addition is fan-centered royalties which are set to come into play in January 2022. Instead of the current aggregated system, “royalties will go to the artists that TIDAL users actually stream, so fans can directly support the artists they love. (What a concept, right?)”