Jay-Z’s new album “4:44” is now available on Apple Music, following an exclusive release last week on the artist’s own Tidal music streaming service. When the album was released on Tidal, several reports predicted that it would be expanding to Apple Music and other services within the week, and earlier this week Jay-Z debuted a video for one of the album’s tracks on Apple Music, even while the album itself remained a Tidal exclusive.
Even with its exclusivity to Tidal, 4:44 went platinum in under a week, although that certification also includes physical album sales.
The relationship between Tidal and some of its artists and co-owners has gotten a bit rocky as of late, with Billboard reporting that Kanye West has been seeking to end Tidal’s exclusivity rights over his latest music and possibly break with the service entirely. West claims that Tidal owes him “more than $3 million” in bonuses that he says he is entitled to as a result of 1.5 million new subscribers brought to the Tidal service from his new album, “The Life of Pablo.”
4:44 is available for streaming on Apple Music or purchase directly from iTunes, and additional has also begun streaming on Amazon Music Unlimited.
Spotify has notably not been included at this point, with Jay-Z’s music catalog still remaining conspicuously absent from that streaming service, despite its return to Apple Music after having been pulled from both services earlier this year. [via MacRumors]
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