TIDAL is well known to many, but the platform still needs to be one of the most widely used worldwide. Until now, this has been because the subscription price has been a little too high. But this may change in the coming months. We’re betting that TIDAL will soon be a service used by more and more people. That’s why, after a review of Amazon Music, we’re now turning our attention to TIDAL. With the same objective in mind: choosing easily the platform that suits your needs. TIDAL: our review!
A bit of history
We recently published a detailed article on the history of TIDAL. To sum up in a few words, TIDAL was founded in Norway in 1998 under the name Aspiro. At the time, it wasn’t a streaming service but a company working in telephony, selling ringtones, etc. In 2010, Aspiro joined forces with another company to create WiMP, a streaming service with optimal audio quality. They laid the foundations for TIDAL.
TIDAL began its journey in 2015. Rapper Jay-Z’s announcement of his shareholding in the company sparked a media frenzy, leading to a star-studded press conference. Alicia Keys boldly proclaimed that TIDAL would spearhead a revolution in the music industry. In a landscape where streaming is often criticized for its unfair distribution of resources, TIDAL emerged as a beacon of hope. It’s a platform by artists, for artists, offering numerous exclusives, top-notch audio quality, and premium editorial content.
The company has kept these values at the heart of its DNA years later. Although it no longer offers exclusives, or hardly any, it remains a platform acclaimed for its audio quality and the high remuneration it provides artists.
TIDAL: our review regarding prices and subscription
A few months ago, our review would have been skeptical about pricing. However, TIDAL has made a strategic shift to become more competitive. The company still offers four formulas: an individual offer at $10.99, a family offer allowing six users to use the same account at $16.99, a DJ offer at $9.99, and a student offer at $4.99 monthly. TIDAL also offers a DJ option for an additional $9 per month. Full details are available here. These competitive prices mean you can enjoy high-quality audio and support your favorite artists without breaking the bank.
TIDAL has made a strategic move to enhance its competitiveness, and the results are impressive. The platform now offers a range of balanced and competitive pricing options that are more affordable than ever before. Previously, enjoying HD audio on TIDAL came at a premium, but that’s no longer the case. All the details about TIDAL’s affordable options can be found right here.
TIDAL may change the game’s rules with consistent pricing and premium options.
How much does TIDAL pay artists?
According to a recent study by LALAL.AI, TIDAL is one of the streaming services that best remunerates artists alongside Napster. As Napster is far from the market leader and no longer a significant player in the music streaming world – despite its many qualities – it’s safe to assume that TIDAL is the best in the market. With an average pay per stream of $0.0125 to $0.015 per stream, according to LALAL.AI, TIDAL has almost no equivalent. This is not to say that this remuneration is satisfactory: it could undoubtedly still be improved so that artists can finally make a living from their music. However, upholding TIDAL’s efforts in this area would be an exaggeration, especially considering its competitors’ pay-per-stream rates.
Joining TIDAL is also a philosophy: you support creation more than you do on any other platform. If this is important to you, don’t hesitate: TIDAL is your service.
TIDAL: our review regarding its catalog
There is nothing to complain about here: Regarding the number of songs available, TIDAL is among the best in the business. All the platforms are pretty much the same. Unless you’re an audiophile and an obsessive digger, you’re likely to find that the service you’re using needs to be better. TIDAL should give you everything you want. Also, TIDAL offers to watch clips (more than 650,000 available). This may seem like a gimmick, but it allows you to stay in the application’s environment.
The difference is in the amount of non-music content. And TIDAL could do a better job regarding the number of podcasts and audiobooks available. It struggles, for example, to match Spotify or Apple Music in this respect.
If podcasts are important to you, there may be better candidates than TIDAL. While its offering is solid, and most people should find everything they want, there are other leaders in this field.
TIDAL: our review regarding user experience & algorithm
TIDAL’s user interface is exemplary. It’s sober, efficient, and doesn’t overdo it. It stands out for its elegant design and fluid navigation. Like Spotify, it features listening recommendations. After a few weeks of using the platform, you should be able to test everything its algorithm offers.
This may be where TIDAL could be improved. Its recommendation algorithm is undoubtedly effective but could be refined to offer even more personalized recommendations. Its “My Mix” and “My Daily Discovery” sections offer playlist discovery using a combination of artificial intelligence and content generated by “real” people.
Some users point out that TIDAL regularly features the same songs and sometimes struggles to renew itself—a slight dark spot! Even if its “Explore” section is both pleasant to navigate and relevant in its results, we’re obliged to compare it all to Spotify, and we think the Swedish company remains the benchmark in the field.
TIDAL: our review regarding audio quality
It’s simple: since its inception, TIDAL has been the undisputed champion of audio quality. Only one streaming service can rival it in this field: Qobuz. Even if Apple Music, Deezer, or Amazon Music Unlimited offer HD options and should enable you to listen to music in optimum quality, none of them can compete with TIDAL.
The service launched in 2015 based part of its expansion on the audio criterion, and it has always stayed the course, regularly making improvements. One of TIDAL’s selling points is that the service lets you listen to music as it was meant to be listened to, as if you were in the studio with the artists.
By the admission of many audiophile sites, such as Tomsguide, TIDAL doesn’t yet have a competitor in the field. On top of that, they boast the most extensive catalog of high-quality songs on any streaming platform. This is often something you don’t consider, yet it’s essential. Many streaming platforms offer an HD option, but this is only available on some of the songs in their catalog. So it would be best if you looked at the percentage of songs available in HD, and on this point, TIDAL is one of the best, along with Qobuz.
TIDAL: our review – Let’s sum it up!
With its efficient user interface and incomparable audio quality, TIDAL has much going for it, especially now that its monthly prices have come down and it can compete with the market leaders on its turf.
If TIDAL manages its communication well and wins over the general public, the streaming world can expect a minor upheaval in the coming months and years. TIDAL’s strength lies in its ability to retain a Premium aspect. Subscribing to TIDAL also means validating a philosophy and a way of consuming that focuses on artists. Until now, you have had to pay more than your competitors, a few dollars, to enjoy this Premium aspect. Since April 2024, this has no longer been the case.
And so it may be that TIDAL is taking off for good.
How to make the most of TIDAL with Soundiiz?
Once you’ve signed up, you can extend your streaming experience with Soundiiz. We work hand in hand with the streaming platforms to offer you the best possible user experience. And yes, our services are 100% legal because we don’t download or retrieve any audio files.
With Soundiiz, once your Deezer account is connected to your Soundiiz account, you can delete and update multiple playlists and manage everything in one place: you can keep your playlists up to date and never out of date.
And don’t worry if you’ve already subscribed to Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music. One thing that holds many people back in their decision to switch streaming platforms is the fear of losing data (playlists, favorite songs, etc.) accumulated over the years on their old streaming service.
Soundiiz allows you to avoid the embarrassing situation of arriving at Deezer and starting from scratch. Building up a library of artists, songs, albums, or playlists… Wouldn’t that be frustrating?
With Soundiiz, you can find all your Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, YouTube Music, and other data directly in your Deezer account in just a few seconds.
How does it work? It’s so easy! You can use our Transfer function. There you go: subscribe to TIDAL and import your data using Soundiiz!
