Jay Z Giving Concert for Tidal Subscribers Only

Will it lure people to his music streaming service?
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 29, 2015 10:22 AM CDT
Jay Z Giving Concert for Tidal Subscribers Only
Recording artist Jay Z performs during a taping of BET's countdown show "106th and Park" at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, NY, in this Nov. 8, 2007, file photo.   (AP Photo/Gary He, file)

Jay Z's latest attempt to get the world pumped about his music streaming service: He's giving a Very Special Concert next month, and only Tidal subscribers are eligible to attend. From today through May 8, subscribers aged 18 or over can make playlists and share them on Twitter using the #TIDALXJAYZ hashtag, and 1,100 winners will be selected from that pool, according to official rules. Playlists will be judged based on "Diversity of artist's [sic] selected," "Incorporation of different genres of music," and "Overall sequence of the Playlist," and each winner will receive two tickets to the exclusive May 13 New York show. As for what makes the concert Very Special, its name will probably give you an idea: "Jaÿ-Z B-Sides." (The umlaut and return of the hyphen to his name are a mystery.)

The rapper will perform "tracks he's never played onstage or songs that haven't been part of his live arsenal for over a decade," Rolling Stone reports. Concerned about having to sign up for Tidal just to get a chance to score tickets? It offers a monthlong free trial. If you don't win, you can still watch the concert (again, as long as you're a Tidal subscriber). It will be live-streamed exclusively on the streaming service. Jay Z defended Tidal in a Twitter rant over the weekend, during which he promised "exclusive concerts" for subscribers—and on Sunday night, an acoustic performance by Jack White streamed live on the service. (More Jay Z stories.)

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