Tidal is a music streaming subscription service with a catalog of around 60 million songs, including some exclusives. Podcasts, music videos, live performance recordings, and professionally curated playlists are also available. It's available on a wide range of devices, including computers, smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, and platforms like Apple TV and Android TV, as with other streaming services. However, Tidal stands out in the streaming music space due to two major factors.
First and first, Tidal is a collective of musicians, not a corporation. Alicia Keys, Arcade Fire (Win Butler and Regine Chassagne), Beyoncé, Calvin Harris, Clifford "T.I." Harris, Coldplay, Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Jack White, and several other "artist owners" are currently listed on the service. Tidal claims that its ownership structure not only allows it to provide members with exclusive music and events, but also allows it to pay artists more money: "Tidal pays the highest ratio of royalties to revenues to music creators of any streaming service, and equal rates are paid to artists regardless of whether they're signed to a major label, an indie label, or not signed to a label at all," the company claims.
Second, in addition to its basic Premium subscription, which allows users to stream audio at 320 Kbps (roughly the same quality as Spotify, Apple Music, and others), Tidal also offers a more expensive "Hi-Fi" option, which converts the entire catalog to lossless, CD-quality audio, as well as a limited catalog of hi-res music known as Tidal Masters. This feature makes Tidal one of only two hi-res streaming services available to U.S. subscribers for a period, with Qobuz being the other. With its Amazon Music HD service, Amazon Music has entered the CD-quality and hi-res audio space as of September 2019.
Tidal and Amazon Music HD are now competing for the title of best-in-class streaming service. We'll go over the differences in more detail below.
What is the cost of Tidal and what is included?
Tidal is divided into two categories: Premium and HiFi. The cost of each tier is determined on whether you are eligible for one of Tidal's discounts. Although there is no free subscription tier, Tidal offers a 30-day free trial for new users, and for a limited time, you can purchase a full six months for just $4, which includes the HiFi premium.
The Premium subscription allows you access to special live Tidal X events as well as unlimited ad-free music across multiple devices. You may make new playlists, import old ones, and download songs and videos to listen to or watch offline.
The HiFi subscription includes all of the features of the Premium subscription, plus lossless CD quality for all music streamed in FLAC 16bit/44.1kHz format, as well as access to Tidal Masters recordings in hi-res. It's also the tier with a small number of Sony 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos Music tracks (more on these formats later).
A Tidal subscription, regardless of plan, allows you to stream music to one device at a time (online mode); however, you can use up to five devices in offline mode at the same time. There are a total of six user accounts available with the family plans.
Individual plans
- Premium: $10 per month
- HiFi: $20 per month
Family plans
- Premium: $15 per month
- HiFi: $30 per month
Student plans (U.S. only, ages 16 and up, with proof of student status)
- Premium: $5 per month
- HiFi: $10 per month
Military plans (U.S. only)
- Premium: $6 per month
- HiFi: $12 per month
First responder plans (U.S. only)
- Premium: $6 per month
- HiFi: $12 per month
What is Tidal Masters and how does it work?
Tidal Masters is a collection of hi-res audio tracks that may be streamed using the MQA codec. The MQA codec starts with the same 24-bit/96KHz audio as lossless FLAC files, but it uses specific compression to drastically reduce the bandwidth required to stream such a high-quality file.
Tidal's hi-res option differentiates from Qobuz and Amazon Music HD in this regard. Both of these providers deliver hi-res audio in FLAC 24-bit/96kHz format, and the files are massive. If you want to stream high-resolution audio over a mobile data connection (and you don't have unlimited data), Tidal will allow you stream more before you reach your limit.
To listen to Tidal Masters in full quality, you'll need a MQA-compatible device and software. The Tidal app for iOS, Android, and desktop operating systems is a good place to start, but for a truly audiophile experience, you'll want to look into a third-party audio system like BlueSound, Meridian, or Roon, which are all Tidal/MQA compatible.
Keep in mind that the last components of the audio delivery chain, especially the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), amplifier, and speakers/headphones, are all critical to proper hi-res audio quality. You won't receive the complete hi-res experience if any of these elements aren't high-quality or compatible with hi-res audio.
What is Sony 360 Reality Audio, and how does it work?
The Sony 360 Reality Audio format, first launched at CES 2019, is a new surround-sound audio format. It's similar to Dolby Atmos Music in that it uses object-based sounds across several channels. It provides a more realistic sound experience, which Sony describes as "more alive," giving the feeling of being at a live event, even when listening to studio-recorded music.
Though there are currently just roughly 1,000 360 RA tracks accessible, that number is steadily increasing. All you need is the Tidal app, a HiFi level membership, and a pair of headphones to enjoy this new format. Sony suggests using its new headphones in conjunction with its Headphone Connect software, which allows you to fine-tune the 360 sound even further.
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