Spotify rival Tidal rides wave of ridicule for relaunch, HQ streaming certain to gain traction predicts Pure

Higher-resolution streaming music service Tidal has relaunched with a gaudy star-strewn (and not entirely well-received) event in New York. Tidal, which offers 16-bit CD-quality streams, is hoping to dominate the new wave of premium music subscription offerings. Owner Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter called on Beyoncé, Madonna and Kanye West for social media support, adding that the venture would be partly owned by a conclave of musicians. Tidal boasts a library of 25 million-plus tracks, 75,000 music videos, and curated editorial content, yours ad-free available for a monthly subscription of £9.99 or £19.99, in FLAC/ALAC 44.1kHz, 16 bit - 1411 kbps.

Reaction to the relaunched Tidal service wasn't mixed...

To coincide with the restart, an updated app moves video content into a more prominent position, while New Artist pages feature a separate Video tab, a Social tab integrating Twitter feeds, and (naturally) a Merchandise tab. Tracks, albums and EPs have been merged into a new Discography tab.

Tidal is now integrated into a wide variety of streaming music hardware, from the likes of Anthem, Astell &Kern, Bluesound & NAD, Dan D'Agostino, Definitive Technology, Denon HEOS, DTS Play-Fi, Dynaudio, Linn, Lode, McIntosh, Meridian, MartinLogan, Paradigm, Polk, Raumfeld, Simple Audio, Sonos and Steinway Lyngdorf.

While Jay-Z and Co's posturing may ultimately have alienated more people than it interested, Nick Hucker, senior director of sales and marketing for Pure, told Inside CI, that interest in high quality audio services was inevitable. “It will take time, communication of the benefits, collaboration between the music industry and the technology companies, in order to accelerate consumer interest, but it will happen,” he said. “High quality audio and listening to audio that is as close to the original studio experience will become just as accessible as MP3s but without the compromise on quality.”

Pure is currently working on a new generation of its Jongo multi-room audio system, most likely compatible with Meridian’s recently announced MQA high quality codec. “Integrating Meridian’s MQA technology into future products will elevate the listening experience and bring audio quality back to the center stage enabling music fans to hear content as the artist originally created,” predicts Hucker. “We are delighted to be working with a company with such a respected audio heritage as Meridian to drive this agenda.”

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