Jay Z lays out #TidalFacts on Twitter, tells critics to give company a 'chance'

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Over the weekend, in a series of 15 tweets, Jay Z laid out what he called #TidalFacts to let the public know that, despite the negative press and rumors, his new streaming music venture Tidal is not a failure.

Of course, Jay Z has a biased opinion when it comes to a business he has invested millions of dollars into, but he made some solid points in his Twitter commentary.

Clearly, this is an important topic for the rapper and entrepreneur. Hov typically tweets just a few times a year, with the notable exception of 2013, when he surprised fans by answering dozens of questions in the wake of the release of his then brand new album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail.”

This time, Jay Z’s foray into social media usage was prompted by the lackluster press Tidal has been receiving since its splashy mega-star-drenched launch on March 30.

Beyoncé, Madonna, Rihanna, Kanye West and other multi-millionaire superstars stood on stage together in a united front for Tidal. The streaming music service has been advertised as a way for consumers to have access to high-quality audio and other multi-media offerings, while artists also stand to benefit by making more money from their music than with other music streaming services like Spotify.

Sounds good, but the press and fans have thus far been less than thrilled. Common complaints have ranged from the price ($19.99 per month compared to Spotify’s $9.99 per month for premium service) to the fact that small indie artists feel left out, with only mega stars cooing praises for the new service.

Critics also pointed out Tidal’s drop out of Apple’s top 750 apps. Oof. The firing of the fledging company’s CEO and other staffers has not helped Tidal’s reputation, either.

But Jay Z took all of that on the chin in his series of equally humble and confident tweets. Below are all 15 tweets condensed into one statement, minus the #TidalFacts hashtag:

The man has a point.

Despite many harshly worded headlines that have done nothing short of lay out an obituary for Tidal, it hasn’t even been a month.

Sure, some big ideas launch with praise and fewer kinks, but you can’t expect Tidal to shift the earth’s axis in just a few weeks.

Surely, if Jigga could re-do the launch, he would likely heed Tyler the Creator’s advice and throw in some off-the-beaten-path artists.

But even with that, let’s at least let the first wave of free trial periods run out before we start expecting the second coming of Jesus from a music streaming service.

The biggest hurdle for Tidal, though, is not necessarily how well it stacks up against its biggest competitors like Spotify but if consumers are willing to shell out the (relatively) big bucks for “exclusive” material. In this digital age, it is increasingly more difficult for anything to remain exclusive for very long.

Jay Z learned that the hard way in 2013 when a deal with Samsung to deliver 1 million copies of “Magna Carta Holy Grail” before the official release date hit a technical snag, and the end result was over 200,000 illegal downloads of the album in just one day.

There are rumors that an exclusive Jay Z and Beyoncé album will be released on Tidal. Everyone knows the Bey Hive is one of the most loyal and vocal fan bases.

Can Queen Bey help take Tidal out of its growing pains and into the big leagues?

Only time (and Twitter and Apple App sales) will tell.