TIDAL’s iOS app performance disappoints as it unveils plans to enable direct artist uploads

TIDAL’s iOS app performance disappoints as it unveils plans to enable direct artist uploads

TIDAL’s launch can’t exactly be classed as “smooth sailing”, but the service managed to capture headlines everywhere thanks to its high-profile artist endorsements, and that exposure for a brief period catapulted it into the Top 20 of most downloaded iOS apps in the US.

Unfortunately, that momentum was quickly lost as Boy Genius Report observes that TIDAL has now moved out of the Top 700 of most downloaded iOS apps. 

BGR also points out that the publicity around the TIDAL launch may have proven to be a boost for its freemium rivals: Pandora and Spotify. The two apps saw a boost just after the press backlash surrounding the TIDAL started and are now occupying the third and fourth spot of the highest grossing iPhone apps in the US - pushing Candy Crush Saga into number four.

Spotify and TIDAL offer the same price point on iOS - $12.99 for the premium version (higher than usual as it incorporates Apple’s 30% cut). Pandora’s premium offering on the other hand costs $4.99 per month.

So what’s next for the company? TIDAL has now unveiled plans to allow artists to upload their music directly to the platform (TIDAL Discovery) without going via a digital distributor and also plans to offer an analytics dashboard. 

Enabling direct artist uploads seems to be another messy move as it’s hard to see how many artists will want to restrict themselves to TIDAL’s service - especially in this early stage as users are few and far between - when the costs of going via a digital distributor are so low.

On a positive note, the company is promising a 62.5% revenue share to both major and independent labels. Beats Music was the first service to tout equal payments to majors and indies, but at the moment it's impossible to tell whether Apple will be adopting the same philosophy once the service is incorporated into the iTunes experience.

 

(Andrea Leonelli)