Just when you thought you chose the best music streaming service to subscribe to, your favorite artist went ahead and dropped their latest album on a competing service.
Additionally, if this happened once before, chances are you probably don't have that handy free trial to spare. That means you're stuck debating whether or not you should cancel one service and make the move to the other.
However, exclusives just don't stay exclusive for long. In just a few weeks (or in some cases, days), the album is released pretty much everywhere. We have seen this happen a few times already with exclusives on Tidal that are eventually released on Apple Music.
However, Jay Z's streaming service isn't the only platform known for having the streaming rights for big artists. Apple Music also has quite a few stars in its corner, which makes it a tough race for new users who are thinking about signing up for either one.
There are pros and cons to both services, but what's the point of registering for one over the other if you can't listen to the most talked-about new music from your favorite artists? Well, that's why we decided to break down the lineup of artists that stream, or have streamed exclusively, on Tidal and Apple Music to help you make the better decision.
When comparing Tidal vs. Apple Music, here's which music streaming service has the best exclusives.
TIDAL
When Tidal announced its launch back in March 2016, there were plenty of big artists that stood beside Jay Z. Those included: wife Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kayne West, Nicki Minaj, Daft Punk, Jack White, Madonna, Arcade Fire, Alicia Keys, Usher, deadmau5, Jason Aldean, J. Cole, Calvin Harris and Coldplay's Chris Martin. The artists were all introduced as "owners of Tidal."
Since these artists have stake in the company, of course, they will first release their brand new music on the platform. However, all of these artists can also be streamed on Apple Music — that is if you are willing to wait, in some cases.
Here are some of the more recent Tidal exclusives:
Beyoncé• Album: Lemonade It's not yet clear if it will come to Apple Music, although this is a possibility once the physical album is released on May 6 (Beyoncé also previously released the single "Formation" from the album exclusively on Tidal). |
Kanye West• Album: The Life of Pablo |
Rihanna• Album: Anti |
Prince• Album: Entire catalogue |
Jay Z• Album: The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, The Blueprint 3 |
Bottom line
If you are fans of Jay Z, Beyoncé and anyone else in their entourage, Tidal is the music streaming service for you if you want to stream new music by these artists when they immediately become available.
APPLE MUSIC
Since its launch, artists like The Weeknd and Drake have been among the big supporters of Apple Music (even if it means the latter was reportedly paid a hefty sum of $19 million to be team Apple back in 2015). The launch of Apple Music made it the first time albums from big stars were released on a streaming platform. These include Taylor Swift's 1989 and Dr. Dre's The Chronic.
Here are some of the most noteworthy Apple Music exclusives:
Drake• Album: Views From the 6 |
DVSN• Album: Sept. 5 |
Taylor Swift• Album: 1989 Taylor Swift fans can listen to her music on Tidal, but not the tracks on 1989. However, the music videos for songs like "Out of the Woods" and "Bad Blood" are also available on Tidal. |
Future• Album: EVOL Future's single with Drake titled "What a Time to be Alive" was also an Apple Music exclusive that did extremely well. EVOL is now available to stream on Tidal. |
Pharrell Williams• Single: "Freedom" The song was available the day Apple Music was up and running, although Tidal now also has both the single and the video. Pharrell has not released a new album, but we bet if he does, it will be on Apple Music first. |
Bottom line
Apple Music is for you if you are major Drake or Taylor Swift fan (you can even stream Swift's live 1989 concert special). Keep in mind that, even though releasing new music on just Tidal or Apple Music helps increase buzz and sales of these albums, it's bad for business for these artists to keep their music on just one platform.
No matter which service you decide to join, just know that it's probably only a matter of time before you can start streaming the competitor's exclusive, too.