Bob Lefsetz: Tidal

There's been a great deal said about Tidal and it's schemes to lure people with exclusive content. Bob Lefsetz has thrown his hat in the ring with this great piece about the service, filled with great quotes about the basic misunderstanding of how tech, investments and artistry work. Here's one:

So first and foremost you've got to pay for Tidal.

And therefore it's dead on arrival. Just like Apple's new music service. Because people are CHEAP! They love their money more than their favorite artists, never forget it. And the kind of person who pledges devotion to Tidal artists is the same kind who's home alone, broke, waiting for their parents to put cash on their debit card. Now if Tidal had a free tier... But it doesn't. It can't afford to lose that much money. It's not about the long haul. No one in music has been about the long haul since the turn of the century. First you get traction, then you monetize/charge. Can you say Instagram, can you say Snapchat? But suddenly, just because Jay Z is a famous musician he expects all of his fans to pony up ten bucks a month? Raw insanity.

The emphasis is my own in that second paragraph but it's the part that really grabbed me the most. He goes on to talk about how the app fails to create a plan for critical mass. It has to be about the long haul, not the big launch.

So, yea, another writeup about how Tidal is probably not a great idea. But it's a well written one and well worth your time.

HT Mr. Adam Klaff