So will Jay Z’s big music move yield him the results (it’s being reported) he’s going for: Tidal subscriptions run amok or no Jay Z?
Let’s talk about it.
This was a good business move-to measure your true fan influence in how they truly check for your music/brand, but like Oprah can sell us people via interviews, quotes via “ah-ha” moments, and books; she can’t really sell us Weight Watchers.
Why?
Because we’ve ridden the weight ride with Oprah for years and at this point, we’ll take “Oprah” any way we can have her.
She wears dope eye-glasses, dug her niche in media, always looked great even since her big weight loss and even with the weight that she’s gained since; she has never gone back to the weight that she once was (when she first started out). That person NEVER came back. Ever.
FACT: Oprah has looked DAMNED good even since being a size 8 and maintained even the little weight gain since-in ways hardly many can do. Everybody always goes back to the fatty they were-she didn’t. She doesn’t even realize she’s never gotten “fat” again. We’re just used to tying her to “weight” (and watching her as the “poster child” for “weight.”)
Therefore, we’re cool on Oprah with weight but she can sell us a person, quote, or book-no problem.
As that pertains to Jay Z–he’s a dope artist and has dug his niche as well.
There will never be another Jay Z like there will never be another “Oprah.”
But this move Jay Z just did is something you’d think he’d do upon launching Tidal. Because at THIS point in the game, like Oprah, we’ll take Jay Z any way we can get him (too). But (like Oprah and Weight Watchers), Jay Z (alone) pulling himself off Spotify and Apple won’t make fans abandon ship of the rest of the entire music industry’s music they have via Apple and Spotify for Tidal.
Had he made this move at the beginning (of stating Tidal), it probably would have had just as much a better effect as the risk it would have been to take his music and move (then). Because (even then), he risked the chance of losing money because people didn’t ride the Tidal wave as (the Tidal 16) planned, thought they would when it launched.
In addition to that, the world now knows he’s fighting to save Tidal + has other options opposite Tidal—even his “die hard” fans.
In the world of social media, all celebrities’ “power” is cut in half—by their fans who, too, think they are stars, (and online-are), for the most part. The average fan (now) can be a fan of your music but in addition to being a fan of you, want “fans” (for whatever reason) for themselves, too.
So being a fan of you, doesn’t negate the fact that they have options to (or not to) board with you.
You can only make bold moves like he’s doing (and leverage your “power”) if you have a monopoly. Granted, HE is his own niche (in rap) that can’t be duplicated-and that is where his power is—like Oprah’s is to books, interviews and “Favorite Things.”
But Jay Z doesn’t have his own niche and monopoly of power in streaming services any more than Oprah’s hold on interviews, and plugging books and “Favorite Things” is exclusive to her endorsement (only).
With regard to his disagreement that streaming services aren’t paying enough to artists, he’s right. It’s a rip off of artists-artists can’t live off that pay.
But it allllllllll goes back to that [sameeeeeeeeeeee music/books and movies business idea I wrote up—and cc’d Kanye and others to invest in]…like I said, explained, laid out in it: Until the media/entertainment industry (especially music) builds and infrastructure to which all its books, movies and music can be sold on; Apple, Spotify (and all the rest carrying the media) will continuously and forever have artists (us writers) and actors by the balls-selling our blood, sweat and tears for (a disrespectful) $.99 and at the mercy of your fans because of a leveled digital playing field, technology and convenience—at the artist’s expense.
UNTIL the industry consolidates and gets their ego out of the way and away from following the current social flow; its going to CONTINUE to drown and force all artists (actors/writers) to compromise being commensurately paid for the work while too and as a result: at the mercy of their fans, the Apple’s, the Spotify’s and the like.
It’s NO OTHER WAY AROUND OR AGAINST IT.
It pains me that to know that with technology having upgraded life as we knew it, [how] the entertainment INDUSTRY insists on NOT playing baseball with hockey rules–BY. THEIR. NECESSARY. RE-DESIGN. FOR THE WIN.
That said, and like I said my business idea: Consolidation is the only way.
Sixteen of the music’s most popular’s Ark’s not even big enough (like they thought).
I even made THAT clear in the business infrastructure idea (cc’d to Kanye) AND included-in the idea-a list of researched music/movie companies: large, independent and small-to have ready to be in receipt of the power move to consolidate and win. “Tell your artists” –t’was (still is and always will be) the ONLY win to be had in order to “break the Internet” from breaking you)…
And even with your power, niche and unique, unless you are backed by more than 16 people, you can’t snatch your niche and uniqueness then place it in a place where the world knows you need IT (and think they are going to jump ship solely for you, only).
It’s a little like this:
Shawn Carter sold drugs before Shawn Carter became “Jay Z.”
Shawn Carter knows that the war on drugs has gone on since the beginning of time and before Shawn Carter sold drugs.
Therefore, Shawn Carter knows that the fact of the matter is: Even despite drugs being illegal and the “war” against ’em, the kingpin gon’ get the drugs to the fiends and living gon’ get got…and so will his music that we all fiend for (despite his taking his business to his own business).
He-know the game.
It’s the same game in-the-streets (as it is in-dus-try).
https://youtu.be/vT8OU5WtfkQ
Tap here and here for more on Jay’s move from Spotify and Apple
Ref: Scarface
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