TIDAL TEES UP MAD EXCLUSIVES

Tidal continues to ramp up the exclusive content offerings, announcing today it will partner with Hot 97 to stream their annual Summer Jam festival taking place this Sunday from Met Life Stadium. The access offered includes performances from both the Festival Stage and Stadium Stage, as well as backstage interviews and the broadcast room with Hot 97 personalities.

"As the Digital Age progresses, radio must progress with it," said Deon Levingston, GM of Emmis N.Y. "We're excited to work with Tidal to expland Hot 97's presence, as well as give viewers a taste of the live action via the stream."

Staying laser focused on hip-hop culture is clearly Jay Z's strategy, as the hardest-working man in rap, Lil Wayne, was brought on as the latest co-owner and promoter for the service earlier this week. Weezy cannot release any music for sale until he settles his $51m lawsuit with Cash Money, but that won't stop him from dropping the Free Weezy Album as a giveaway, and he debuted the first single "Glory" exclusively on the streaming service. The company has also stated that at some point in the future, Wayne will be performing a show (called “Tidal X”) for members only, but the where and when is unclear at this time.

“Tidal is a great way to share music directly with fans,” said Lil Wayne via a statement. “I’m hyped for people to hear my latest track and can’t wait to show fans love through a special Tidal X.”

With Lil Tunechi now at Tidal and his protege Drake signing on at Apple Music for millions, competition for hot content is fiercer than ever, creating a winning scenario for the audience. Think back to the great FM radio wars of the past as they battled for marketshare—gotta step your game up to win, and that's exactly what's starting to brew between these services. Exciting shit.