The music industry has faced some tough times. After the early 2000s, album sales drastically fell from the levels in the 1980s and 1990s. After the rise of the Internet, digital sales of individual songs skyrocketed, but starting in 2013, single sales have also been in decline, with sales plummeting at 5.7% that year. This is due to free streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora exploding in popularity. After 2014 proved to be a specifically low year in music sales, several important figures in the music industry met in secret to devise a plan.

The solution came in the form of the purchase of streaming service, Tidal, by rapper and Roc Nation businessman Jay-Z. Unlike its free counterparts, Tidal charges $9.99 a month for a normal membership, and $19.99 a month for an upgraded membership, that promises higher-quality music, video viewing options, and music editorials. The goal is to turn a higher profit for music artists due to declining sales in the industry, and provide competition to free streaming services.

Several high-profile artists are pulling their music off of free streaming services to license it to Tidal. In addition to Jay-Z putting his catalogue on the service, Beyonce, Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, and Kanye West are all putting their music on Tidal. In order to hype the service, several of these celebrities have turned the avatars on their social media profiles to a cyan color. To create more hype, multiple hashtags discussing the topic have been trending on Twitter. A demand appears to be forming for the service, and competitors have yet to release an official statement concerning the matter.

Student opinions about the service are divided. Senior Shae Greene is not a fan of the service. “I think it’s dumb that these artists are asking for more money when they already have so much. I will continue to use Spotify and Pandora.”

Jenny Thornton, a junior, voiced her support for the service. “I think it’s good that artists are standing up for their craft,” she said. Opinions on social media are just as divided, as some people are supporting artists standing up for their craft, as others throw accusations of a “rich-get-richer” scheme by the Hollywood elite.

Either way, Tidal is proving to be a daring venture by an industry in desperate need of a reinvention. Only time will tell if Tidal will be a success, but with the future of the industry looking bleak, record labels and artist alike are looking to revive the field that they are working in.