Rapper Kanye West this morning took to Twitter to weigh in on the report that Apple was considering an acquisition of Jay Z’s Tidal music streaming service. He demanded a meeting with himself, Jay Z, and Apple executives, and insisted that Apple “give Jay his check for Tidal now.”
Apple, whose premium Apple Music service competes with Tidal, is typically silent about deals it is making or, in some cases, has made. So it’s fascinating to see someone prominent make noise about a deal that was reported to be in the works, and Kanye West, at that.
Kanye and Jay Z are longtime collaborators; Kanye has produced music on Roc-A-Fella Records, which Jay Z cofounded, and the two collaborated on the 2011 album “Watch the Throne.” Jay Z’s wife, Beyoncé Knowles, has released music exclusively on Tidal. Meanwhile, West has brought music to Tidal exclusively before, and West’s wife, Kim Kardashian, has generated lots of money through Apple by way of the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood app.
Apple has sought to bring exclusive content to Apple Music, and content from Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Jay Z himself may help Apple Music surpass other music streaming services, including Spotify.
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Here’s what West wrote about the reported deal:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/759436006810460160
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/759436516389117952
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/759437257099010048
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/759449038097747968
Update at 10:10 p.m. Pacific: West apparently also wants Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, to participate in the meeting that he called for.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/759611680514990080
