<s>
Tidal	B-Application
(	O
stylized	O
in	O
all	O
caps	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
Norwegian-American	O
subscription-based	O
audio	O
streaming	O
service	O
that	O
also	O
streams	O
music	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2014	O
by	O
Swedish	O
public	O
company	O
Aspiro	O
which	O
is	O
now	O
majority-owned	O
by	O
Block	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
an	O
American	O
payment	O
processing	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
distribution	O
agreements	O
with	O
all	O
three	O
major	O
record	O
labels	O
and	O
many	O
independent	O
labels	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
claims	O
to	O
provide	O
access	O
to	O
more	O
than	O
80	O
million	O
tracks	O
and	O
350,000	O
music	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
offers	O
two	O
levels	O
of	O
service	O
:	O
Tidal	B-Application
HiFi	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
CD	B-Device
quality	O
–	O
FLAC-based	O
16-bit/44.1kHz	O
)	O
and	O
Tidal	B-Application
HiFi	O
Plus	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
–	O
24-bit/352.8kHz	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
claims	O
to	O
pay	O
the	O
highest	O
percentage	O
of	O
royalties	O
to	O
music	O
artists	O
and	O
songwriters	O
within	O
the	O
music	O
streaming	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2017	O
,	O
Sprint	O
Corporation	O
bought	O
33%	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
for	O
a	O
reported	O
$200	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Block	O
,	O
then	O
known	O
as	O
Square	O
,	O
agreed	O
to	O
pay	O
$297	O
million	O
for	O
majority	O
ownership	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
through	O
the	O
disclosure	O
of	O
the	O
Annual	O
Stockholder	O
Meeting	O
2022	O
,	O
Block	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
stake	O
acquired	O
in	O
the	O
Tidal	B-Application
music	O
service	O
was	O
86.8	O
%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
some	O
observers	O
praised	O
the	O
high-fidelity	O
audio	O
quality	O
,	O
and	O
higher	O
subscription	O
fees	O
that	O
would	O
result	O
in	O
higher	O
royalties	O
to	O
the	O
artists	O
and	O
songwriters	O
,	O
others	O
felt	O
the	O
high	O
subscription	O
fees	O
and	O
exclusive	O
Tidal	B-Application
content	O
from	O
the	O
artists	O
involved	O
could	O
lead	O
to	O
more	O
music	B-Application
piracy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
over	O
3	O
million	O
subscribers	O
in	O
2016	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
veracity	O
of	O
those	O
claims	O
and	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
reported	O
streaming	O
numbers	O
have	O
been	O
questioned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
operates	O
in	O
61	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Branching	O
off	O
from	O
WiMP	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
Norway	O
in	O
2010	O
and	O
later	O
available	O
in	O
Sweden	O
,	O
Denmark	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
and	O
Poland	O
,	O
Aspiro	O
launched	O
the	O
Tidal	B-Application
brand	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
and	O
Canada	O
on	O
October	O
28	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
launch	O
was	O
supported	O
by	O
Sonos	B-Algorithm
and	O
15	O
other	O
home	O
audio	O
manufacturers	O
as	O
integration	O
partners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
launched	O
in	O
five	O
more	O
European	O
countries	O
:	O
Ireland	O
,	O
Finland	O
,	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
,	O
Belgium	O
and	O
Luxembourg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
16	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
came	O
to	O
public	O
attention	O
that	O
Tidal	B-Application
was	O
closing	O
its	O
original	O
Aspiro	O
offices	O
in	O
Stockholm	O
,	O
terminating	O
the	O
employment	O
for	O
all	O
Swedish	O
employees	O
and	O
the	O
CEO	O
,	O
Andy	O
Chen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
began	O
selling	O
digital	O
downloads	O
and	O
CDs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
appointed	O
Jeff	O
Toig	O
as	O
CEO	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
British	O
company	O
Master	B-Algorithm
Quality	I-Algorithm
Authenticated	I-Algorithm
(	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
)	O
which	O
they	O
claim	O
delivers	O
master-quality	O
recordings	O
at	O
typically	O
96kHz	O
/	O
24-bit	O
with	O
the	O
highest	O
possible	O
resolution	O
to	O
its	O
HiFi	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
is	O
the	O
only	O
streaming	O
company	O
to	O
offer	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
MQA	B-Algorithm
is	O
a	O
three	O
part	O
process	O
applied	O
to	O
digital	O
audio	O
music	O
recordings	O
consisting	O
of	O
:	O
1	O
)	O
modifying	O
and	O
controlling	O
the	O
end	O
to	O
end	O
digital	O
filter	O
response	O
;	O
2	O
)	O
preparing	O
the	O
high-quality	O
audio	O
for	O
transfer	O
to	O
a	O
smartphone	O
or	O
audio	O
device	O
using	O
a	O
lossy	B-Algorithm
audio	O
compression	B-Algorithm
format	O
;	O
and	O
3	O
)	O
decompressing	O
the	O
recording	O
for	O
playback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
23	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
US	O
mobile	O
carrier	O
Sprint	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
buying	O
a	O
33	O
percent	O
stake	O
in	O
Tidal	B-Application
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Sprint	O
would	O
offer	O
exclusive	O
content	O
to	O
Sprint	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2017	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
Mercedes-Benz	O
'	O
s	O
web	O
portal	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
catalog	O
available	O
in	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
currently	O
comprises	O
certain	O
albums	O
and	O
singles	O
from	O
Universal	O
Music	O
Group	O
,	O
Warner	O
Music	O
Group	O
,	O
its	O
affiliates	O
and	O
certain	O
independent	O
distributors	O
,	O
including	O
AvidPlay	O
service	O
provided	O
by	O
Avid	O
Technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
largest	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
catalog	O
available	O
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
is	O
that	O
of	O
Warner	O
Music	O
Group	O
and	O
its	O
affiliates	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
deal	O
with	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
and	O
Warner	O
Music	O
Group	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
past	O
,	O
Sony	O
Music	O
also	O
offered	O
certain	O
albums	O
and	O
singles	O
from	O
their	O
catalog	O
in	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
,	O
but	O
their	O
quality	O
were	O
later	O
reduced	O
;	O
exceptions	O
include	O
Beyoncé	O
's	O
albums	O
Lemonade	O
and	O
Homecoming	O
:	O
The	O
Live	O
Album	O
,	O
both	O
released	O
by	O
Parkwood	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
distributed	O
by	O
Sony	O
Music	O
's	O
label	O
Columbia	O
Records	O
(	O
likely	O
most	O
possible	O
reason	O
of	O
these	O
exceptions	O
is	O
Tidal	B-Application
's	O
ownership	O
—	O
Jay-Z	O
is	O
Beyoncé	O
's	O
husband	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
podcasts	O
to	O
launch	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2019	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
expanded	O
their	O
credits	O
feature	O
and	O
launched	O
interactive	O
official	O
music	O
credits	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
allowing	O
user	O
to	O
click	O
on	O
musicians	O
and	O
other	O
contributors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
credits	O
are	O
supplied	O
by	O
the	O
labels	O
and	O
artists	O
direct	O
to	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
2	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
financial	O
technology	O
company	O
Square	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
had	O
reached	O
an	O
agreement	O
to	O
acquire	O
majority	O
ownership	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Square	O
would	O
pay	O
$297	O
million	O
in	O
cash	O
and	O
stock	O
for	O
Tidal	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Jay-Z	O
would	O
have	O
a	O
board	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jay-Z	O
and	O
other	O
artists	O
who	O
own	O
stocks	O
in	O
Tidal	B-Application
would	O
remain	O
stakeholders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
free	O
tier	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
,	O
though	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD-quality	O
HiFi	O
audio	O
was	O
also	O
introduced	O
to	O
all	O
paid	O
plans	O
,	O
while	O
keeping	O
MQA-quality	O
audio	O
exclusive	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
HiFi	O
Plus	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
key	O
selling	O
point	O
for	O
Tidal	B-Application
as	O
compared	O
with	O
other	O
streaming	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Spotify	B-Application
and	O
Pandora	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
is	O
the	O
exclusive	O
content	O
already	O
available	O
and	O
expected	O
for	O
the	O
future	O
from	O
the	O
current	O
artists	O
who	O
co-own	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Exclusive	O
content	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
relaunch	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
included	O
Rihanna	O
's	O
single	O
"	O
Bitch	O
Better	O
Have	O
My	O
Money	O
"	O
,	O
The	O
White	O
Stripes	O
debut	O
television	O
appearance	O
,	O
Daft	O
Punk	O
's	O
Electroma	O
(	O
2006	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
playlists	O
personally	O
curated	O
by	O
Jay-Z	O
,	O
Beyoncé	O
,	O
Arcade	O
Fire	O
and	O
Coldplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
stated	O
on	O
its	O
official	O
Twitter	B-Application
page	O
that	O
"	O
lots	O
of	O
exclusive	O
content	O
 [ is ] 	O
on	O
the	O
way	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jay-Z	O
'	O
s	O
catalogue	O
was	O
not	O
available	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
but	O
was	O
almost	O
entirely	O
exclusive	O
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
until	O
his	O
50th	O
birthday	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
press	O
conference	O
,	O
Jay-Z	O
,	O
Beyoncé	O
,	O
Rihanna	O
,	O
Kanye	O
West	O
,	O
Nicki	O
Minaj	O
,	O
Daft	O
Punk	O
,	O
Jack	O
White	O
,	O
Madonna	O
,	O
Arcade	O
Fire	O
,	O
Alicia	O
Keys	O
,	O
Usher	O
,	O
Chris	O
Martin	O
,	O
Calvin	O
Harris	O
,	O
deadmau5	O
,	O
Jason	O
Aldean	O
and	O
J	O
.	O
Cole	O
were	O
introduced	O
to	O
the	O
stage	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
owners	O
of	O
TIDAL	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
30	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
a	O
press	O
conference	O
was	O
held	O
at	O
Skylight	O
at	O
Moynihan	O
Station	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
,	O
to	O
relaunch	O
Tidal	B-Application
officially	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
conference	O
started	O
with	O
a	O
brief	O
introduction	O
and	O
explanation	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
introducing	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
sixteen	O
artist	O
co-owners	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
onstage	O
,	O
recording	O
artist	O
Alicia	O
Keys	O
spoke	O
on	O
behalf	O
of	O
the	O
artists	O
and	O
for	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
press	O
conference	O
,	O
all	O
artists	O
onstage	O
signed	O
a	O
declaration	O
,	O
which	O
stated	O
Tidal	B-Application
's	O
mission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
gained	O
100,000	O
new	O
subscribers	O
following	O
the	O
press	O
conference	O
revealing	O
the	O
artists	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
1	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
Kanye	O
West	O
left	O
Tidal	B-Application
as	O
co-owner	O
and	O
shareholder	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
financial	O
argument	O
with	O
its	O
board	O
of	O
directors	O
regarding	O
compensation	O
for	O
his	O
contributions	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
West	O
later	O
demanded	O
payment	O
from	O
Tidal	B-Application
of	O
$3	O
million	O
for	O
his	O
inclusion	O
on	O
marketing	O
efforts	O
,	O
video	O
production	O
,	O
and	O
claiming	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
his	O
2016	O
album	O
,	O
The	O
Life	O
of	O
Pablo	O
,	O
being	O
the	O
reason	O
for	O
Tidal	B-Application
's	O
1.5	O
million	O
subscriber	O
increase	O
soon	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
stated	O
West	O
failed	O
to	O
deliver	O
the	O
videos	O
he	O
promised	O
on	O
his	O
contract	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
exclusives	O
included	O
Beyoncé	O
releasing	O
a	O
video	O
of	O
her	O
performing	O
"	O
Die	O
With	O
You	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
never-before-heard	O
original	O
song	O
,	O
dedicated	O
to	O
her	O
and	O
Jay-Z	O
'	O
s	O
wedding	O
anniversary	O
,	O
Madonna	O
releasing	O
a	O
teaser	O
of	O
her	O
upcoming	O
music	O
video	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
for	O
"	O
Ghosttown	O
"	O
and	O
Rihanna	O
debuting	O
her	O
brand	O
new	O
song	O
and	O
music	O
video	O
"	O
American	O
Oxygen	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
released	O
Rihanna	O
's	O
Anti	O
as	O
a	O
one-week	O
exclusive	O
stream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2016	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
secured	O
an	O
exclusive	O
initial	O
release	O
with	O
Kanye	O
West	O
's	O
The	O
Life	O
of	O
Pablo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
West	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
vow	O
that	O
the	O
album	O
would	O
"	O
never	O
appear	O
on	O
any	O
other	O
services	O
[	O
than	O
Tidal ]	O
"	O
,	O
nor	O
would	O
it	O
ever	O
be	O
for	O
sale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
23	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Beyoncé	O
released	O
her	O
second	O
visual	O
album	O
,	O
Lemonade	O
,	O
for	O
streaming	O
exclusively	O
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jay-Z	O
'	O
s	O
2017	O
album	O
4:44	O
debuted	O
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
year	O
,	O
Jay-Z	O
released	O
a	O
collaborative	O
album	O
with	O
Beyoncé	O
,	O
Everything	O
Is	O
Love	O
,	O
via	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
regularly	O
streams	O
concerts	O
live	O
and	O
on-demand	O
including	O
the	O
Made	O
in	O
America	O
festival	O
and	O
TIDAL	B-Application
X	O
Brooklyn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
live-streamed	O
Hot	O
97	O
's	O
25th	O
annual	O
Summer	O
Jam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
Tidal	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
Equal	O
Justice	O
Initiative	O
to	O
live-stream	O
The	O
Concert	O
for	O
Peace	O
and	O
Justice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
Tidal	B-Application
's	O
launch	O
and	O
press	O
conference	O
,	O
the	O
mobile	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
shot	O
to	O
the	O
top	O
20	O
of	O
the	O
U.S.	O
iPhone	O
Apps	O
chart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Glenn	O
Peoples	O
of	O
Billboard	O
wrote	O
that	O
Tidal	B-Application
was	O
a	O
good	O
thing	O
for	O
the	O
music	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
that	O
a	O
service	O
like	O
Tidal	B-Application
–	O
which	O
is	O
promoted	O
as	O
paying	O
a	O
fair	O
amount	O
of	O
royalties	O
to	O
both	O
the	O
artists	O
and	O
the	O
songwriters	O
–	O
will	O
lead	O
to	O
the	O
industry	O
as	O
a	O
whole	O
sorting	O
out	O
its	O
issues	O
with	O
streaming	O
royalties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
USA	O
Todays	O
website	O
,	O
Micah	O
Peters	O
released	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
"	O
3	O
reasons	O
why	O
Jay-Z	O
'	O
s	O
new	O
Tidal	B-Application
streaming	O
service	O
is	O
stupid	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peters	O
worried	O
that	O
most	O
listeners	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
the	O
required	O
,	O
advanced	O
headphones	B-Device
to	O
distinguish	O
the	O
difference	O
between	O
ordinary	O
and	O
high-fidelity	O
audio	O
(	O
Hi-Fi	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recording	O
artist	O
Lily	O
Allen	O
expressed	O
her	O
opinions	O
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
on	O
her	O
official	O
Twitter	B-Application
account	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
feared	O
that	O
the	O
high	O
price	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
mass	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
artist	O
co-owners	O
,	O
could	O
result	O
in	O
crippling	O
the	O
music	O
industry	O
and	O
increasing	O
piracy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
I	O
love	O
Jay-Z	O
so	O
much	O
,	O
but	O
Tidal	B-Application
is	O
(	O
so	O
)	O
expensive	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
perfectly	O
good	O
streaming	O
services	O
,	O
he	O
's	O
taken	O
the	O
biggest	O
artists	O
…	O
Made	O
them	O
exclusive	O
to	O
Tidal	B-Application
(	O
am	O
I	O
right	O
in	O
thinking	O
this	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Jay-Z	O
responded	O
to	O
criticism	O
with	O
a	O
freestyle	O
during	O
the	O
Tidal	B-Application
X	O
:	O
Jaÿ-Z	O
B-Sides	O
concert	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
compares	O
Tidal	B-Application
with	O
Apple	O
and	O
Nike	O
and	O
says	O
that	O
Tidal	B-Application
has	O
been	O
subjected	O
to	O
hypocritical	O
criticism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kanye	O
West	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
initially	O
release	O
his	O
album	O
The	O
Life	O
of	O
Pablo	O
as	O
a	O
Tidal	B-Application
streaming	O
exclusive	O
led	O
to	O
criticism	O
from	O
fans	O
,	O
who	O
felt	O
that	O
streaming	O
exclusivity	O
could	O
promote	O
piracy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2017	O
,	O
West	O
terminated	O
his	O
contract	O
with	O
Tidal	B-Application
,	O
claiming	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
owed	O
him	O
$3	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
artist	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
artist	O
royalties	O
per	O
track	O
from	O
Aspiro/Tidal	O
are	O
currently	O
over	O
three	O
times	O
than	O
those	O
paid	O
by	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
but	O
that	O
royalties	O
may	O
decrease	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
sufficient	O
return	O
on	O
investment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jay-Z	O
commented	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
to	O
Billboard	O
that	O
artists	O
would	O
be	O
paid	O
more	O
by	O
being	O
streamed	O
on	O
Tidal	B-Application
than	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
stating	O
"	O
Will	O
artists	O
make	O
more	O
money	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
27	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Yesh	O
Music	O
,	O
LLC	O
and	O
John	O
Emanuele	O
from	O
the	O
band	O
The	O
American	O
Dollar	O
launched	O
a	O
$5	O
million	O
class-action	O
lawsuit	O
that	O
claimed	O
Tidal	B-Application
has	O
yet	O
to	O
compensate	O
the	O
band	O
for	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
royalty	O
payments	O
accrued	O
from	O
the	O
streaming	O
of	O
the	O
band	O
's	O
116	O
copyrighted	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
suit	O
also	O
accused	O
Tidal	B-Application
of	O
using	O
faulty	O
numbers	O
to	O
payout	O
artists	O
while	O
also	O
having	O
undercut	O
these	O
same	O
individuals	O
by	O
35%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
response	O
from	O
Tidal	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
indeed	O
fully	O
up	O
to	O
date	O
on	O
all	O
royalties	O
for	O
the	O
group	O
and	O
have	O
removed	O
said	O
intellectual	O
property	O
from	O
their	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2017	O
,	O
Norwegian	O
newspaper	O
Dagens	O
Næringsliv	O
( 	O
 '	O
Today	O
's	O
Business	O
 '	O
)	O
reported	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
received	O
internal	O
documents	O
disclosing	O
lower	O
subscriber	O
counts	O
than	O
had	O
been	O
publicly	O
announced	O
by	O
Tidal	B-Application
and	O
its	O
owners	O
,	O
having	O
only	O
350,000	O
users	O
in	O
September	O
2015	O
(	O
contradicting	O
a	O
claim	O
by	O
Jay-Z	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
had	O
a	O
million	O
users	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
850,000	O
subscribers	O
by	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
3	O
million	O
claimed	O
by	O
the	O
service	O
(	O
which	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
inflated	O
by	O
including	O
users	O
that	O
were	O
using	O
a	O
free	O
trial	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
Dagens	O
Næringsliv	O
published	O
a	O
report	O
accusing	O
Tidal	B-Application
of	O
intentionally	O
falsifying	O
streaming	O
numbers	O
for	O
Beyoncé	O
's	O
Lemonade	O
and	O
Kanye	O
West	O
's	O
The	O
Life	O
of	O
Pablo	O
albums	O
and	O
consequently	O
paying	O
inflated	O
royalties	O
to	O
the	O
artists	O
 '	O
record	O
labels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
allegations	O
,	O
Norwegian	O
collection	O
society	O
TONO	O
filed	O
an	O
official	O
police	O
complaint	O
against	O
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Danish	O
music	O
organization	O
Koda	O
has	O
also	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
conducting	O
an	O
independent	O
audit	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
skepticism	O
of	O
Tidal	B-Application
and	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
claims	O
,	O
without	O
independent	O
verification	O
,	O
that	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
sound	O
quality	O
is	O
better	O
than	O
standard	O
PCM	O
encoding	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
“	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
offers	O
our	O
members	O
a	O
more	O
natural	O
,	O
believable	O
,	O
involving	O
and	O
immersive	O
listening	O
experience	O
,	O
”	O
a	O
YouTuber	O
known	O
as	O
GoldenSound	O
conducted	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
tests	O
to	O
publish	O
non-music	O
audio	O
test	O
signals	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
which	O
were	O
rejected	O
because	O
"	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
encoder	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
encode	O
the	O
file.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GoldenSound	O
then	O
successfully	O
passed	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
encoding	O
validation	O
step	O
by	O
hiding	O
test	O
signals	O
added	O
to	O
music	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
white	O
noise	O
,	O
an	O
impulse	O
response	O
,	O
a	O
square	O
wave	O
,	O
a	O
32-tone	O
test	O
signal	O
and	O
the	O
RMAA	O
test	O
sequence	O
interspersed	O
with	O
self-produced	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
uploaded	O
a	O
44.1	O
kHz	O
version	O
and	O
an	O
88.2kHz	O
version	O
,	O
which	O
exceeded	O
the	O
encoder	O
parameters	O
meant	O
to	O
allow	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
processing	O
with	O
no	O
audible	O
loss	B-Algorithm
,	O
distortions	O
or	O
compression	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
comparing	O
the	O
original	O
test	O
file	O
to	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
encoded	O
one	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
shown	O
that	O
the	O
MQA-encoded	O
versions	O
uploaded	O
to	O
Tidal	B-Application
had	O
distorted	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
test	O
signals	O
and	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
88.2kHz	O
version	O
,	O
had	O
added	O
high-frequency	B-Algorithm
noise	I-Algorithm
to	O
the	O
entire	O
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
non-encoded	O
test	O
files	O
were	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
files	O
uploaded	O
to	O
other	O
streaming	O
services	O
,	O
prominently	O
Deezer	B-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
no	O
loss	B-Algorithm
or	O
compression	B-Algorithm
added	O
,	O
showing	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
encoding	O
that	O
had	O
reduced	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concluding	O
statement	O
from	O
GoldenSound	O
was	O
that	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
is	O
not	O
lossless	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
lossy	B-Algorithm
and	O
differs	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
master	O
and	O
is	O
not	O
at	O
all	O
how	O
the	O
artist	O
intended	O
for	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
listened	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
test	O
files	O
uploaded	O
to	O
Tidal	B-Application
were	O
removed	O
shortly	O
after	O
GoldenSound	O
sent	O
an	O
e-mail	O
to	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
questioning	O
their	O
legitimacy	O
and	O
their	O
recommended	O
methods	O
for	O
encoding	O
to	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
,	O
stating	O
that	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
viable	O
or	O
easy	O
method	O
to	O
test	O
their	O
claims	O
about	O
lossless-ness	O
,	O
even	O
for	O
indie	O
artists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
tests	O
by	O
GoldenSound	O
have	O
been	O
discredited	O
by	O
independent	O
reviewers	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
test	O
signals	O
which	O
violated	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
encoder	O
parameters	O
that	O
are	O
met	O
in	O
music	O
produced	O
by	O
record	O
labels	O
and	O
other	O
legitimate	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Musician	O
Neil	O
Young	O
removed	O
his	O
music	O
from	O
Tidal	B-Application
after	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
converted	O
to	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
and	O
labeled	O
"	O
Master	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Young	O
criticized	O
the	O
audio	O
quality	O
and	O
the	O
MQA	B-Algorithm
business	O
scheme	O
:	O
"	O
TIDAL	B-Application
's	O
master	O
is	O
a	O
degradation	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
fit	O
in	O
a	O
box	O
that	O
collects	O
royalties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
has	O
apps	O
available	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
compatible	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
Apple	B-Device
TV	I-Device
,	O
Roku	O
,	O
CarPlay	B-General_Concept
,	O
Android	B-Application
TV	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Amazon	B-Application
Fire	I-Application
TV	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Name	O
Audio	O
quality	O
Bit	O
rate	O
Codec	B-General_Concept
Free	O
(	O
US	O
only	O
)	O
"	O
Sound	O
Quality	O
|	O
Tidal	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tidal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
