In an interview with Billboard, Jay Z told the publication that Apple's Jimmy Iovine was trying to lure artists away from Tidal. Jay told Billboard, "I think that’s just his competitive nature, and I don’t know if he’s looking at the bigger picture: That it’s not about me and it’s not about him; it’s about the future of the music business".
The Beats executive turned Apple employee was apparently "trying to lure people from your first-tier group by offering them more money upfront".
Even with all the supposed drama, it looks like Jay Z isn't really about trying to knockout the competition in the music streaming space. "My thing with Jimmy is, ‘Listen, Jimmy; you’re Jimmy Iovine, and you’re Apple, and truthfully, you’re great. You guys are going to do great things with Beats, but … you know, I don’t have to lose in order for you guys to win, and let’s just remember that.’ Again, I’m not angry. I actually told him, ‘Yo, you should be helping me. This is for the artist. These are people that you supported your whole life. You know, this is good."
Tidal's newly relaunched app is now available on the App Store. However, folks wanting to try it out will need to purchase one of the two subscription tiers. $10 a month will get you compressed music, while $20 will give you CD-quality streams.
