Why Getting Behind Tidal Could be a Good Thing for the Metal Community

Ignore the many pop celebrities that helped launched Jay Z’s new music streaming service. People should be concerned about the underlining positives compared that Tidal brings to the market unlike the likes of SoundCloud and other existing music apps. With Tidal doubling Spotify’s average payout, the rapper’s music service appears to be rewarding larger royalties to the artists extending streaming rights to Tidal, which could be beneficial to the metal community if they get behind this app in the coming months.

It's clear that smartphone users are depending on apps to listen to their favorite music and discover new artists, as mobile Internet has become the most powerful form of connectivity in the internet landscape according to the managing company that recently launched Spin Genie’s Slingo Riches. But the biggest controversy surrounding music streaming apps today is the notion of free music and people demonstrating their unwillingness to pay to listen to their favorite songs. Nonetheless, the loyalty displayed by the metal community according to a study conducted by one of Tidal’s competitors is a promising sign that fans of the genre would still be willing to pay a small price for exclusive EPs.

Compared to other genres of music like hip hop and country, people have a slightly more difficult time coming by new acts when it comes to metal. Behold the Arctopus among other metal groups revealed in an interview with Metal Injection that they rely on friends’ recommendations, check out record stores and follow their favorite labels to find out what’s new in the community. However, one did mention Spotify as their source of metal music discovery, which shows the potential of success for Tidal should the app expand in this area of music.

Though the majority of musicians that have partnered with Tidal include the biggest names in the industry today, such as AC/DC and Metallica, the music streaming service is currently focusing on lesser known musicians and indie labels to draw in a new set of users that follow the up-and-comers rather than those commonly featured on the radio. Due to rap, rock and EDM winning the popularity vote for genres of music listened to, a key target market for Tidal would be metal music, specifically the alternative and indie metal groups that have yet to sign record deals and those currently struggling to find gigs.