A few months ago, news broke that Apple is somewhat seriously considering acquiring the streaming service Tidal – including its extensive catalogue of exclusive music – from Jay Z.
Nothing official has been announced, and it appears that Kanye West is getting antsy, as earlier today, he went on a Twitter rant telling Apple to stop playing hardball and finalise a deal.
This Tidal Apple beef is fucking up the music game.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 30, 2016
“This Tidal Apple beef is fucking up the music game,” he said, implying that there is a Tidal-Apple beef of some sort going on right now, or that heavy negotiations are taking place behind the scenes.
With the type of passion that he would normally reserve for ordering croissants, Kanye went on to demand a meeting between himself, Jay and various top Apple brass “on the phone or in a room this week!!!”
I need Tim Cook Jay Z Dez Jimmy Larry me and Drake Scooter on the phone or in a room this week!!!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 30, 2016
He then accused Apple of engaging in a “dick-swinging contest”, and in a sick burn for the sick burn history books, told company executives to “give Jay his check for Tidal now and stop trying to act like you Steve.”
Fuck all this dick swinging contest. We all gon be dead in 100 Years. Let the kids have the music.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 30, 2016
Apple give Jay his check for Tidal now and stop trying to act like you Steve.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 30, 2016
Tidal has been the home of some big exclusives in the past, and was the only (legal) place to hear albums like Beyoncé‘s Lemonade and Kanye’s The Life Of Pablo on the day of release.
Apple itself is also known for exclusives, so a hypothetical merger would put a lot of these under one roof, as well as giving Apple access to Tidal-exclusive content like Prince‘s back catalogue.
Industry commentators also speculate that a combined Apple-Tidal could position itself in the market as a serious competitor to Spotify, which remains the top streaming service, and which still offers a free membership tier.
When Taylor Swift called Apple out for not properly paying artists, they responded and lifted their game. It remains to be seen whether Kanye will similarly prod them into action.
Source: The Verge.
Photo: Jonathon Liebson / Getty.
