who owns tidal music
TIDAL is currently majority-owned and controlled by Block, Inc. (the fintech company co-founded by Jack Dorsey, formerly called Square), which holds roughly the midâ80% range of the companyâs shares and makes the key strategic and operational decisions for the service. JayâZ and a group of original artistâowners (including stars like BeyoncĂ© and Rihanna) still retain minority stakes and branding influence, but no longer control the platform.
Quick Scoop
- Main owner: Block, Inc. is the majority shareholder and effectively âownsâ TIDAL today in business terms.
- Minority owners: JayâZ plus several highâprofile artists remain minority shareholders with limited control but ongoing cultural and marketing influence.
- Structure in simple terms: Think of TIDAL now as a Block subsidiary with an artistâflavored cap table rather than a purely âartistâownedâ streamer.
How TIDALâs Ownership Evolved
- 2014â2015: The service began under Norwegian company Aspiro before JayâZâs Project Panther Bidco bought it and rebranded TIDAL as an artistâowned, highâfidelity streaming platform.
- 2017: Sprint (now part of TâMobile) acquired about a third of TIDAL, injecting cash but leaving JayâZ and artist partners in control.
- 2021 onward: Square (now Block, Inc.) acquired a significant majority stake in TIDAL for about 297 million dollars, turning Block into the controlling owner while keeping artists as minority coâowners and bringing JayâZ onto Blockâs board.
Who Owns What (Today)
| Stakeholder | Approximate role today |
|---|---|
| Block, Inc. | Majority owner (around 86%) and full strategic/operational control of TIDAL. | [9][1][3]
| JayâZ | Minority shareholder (singleâdigit percent range) and Block board member, with influence but not control. | [5][3][9]
| Artist owners (e.g., BeyoncĂ©, Rihanna, others) | Small combined minority stake, mainly impacting branding, exclusives, and artist relations rather than dayâtoâday decisions. | [7][3][5][9]
Why This Is a Trending Topic
- The âwho owns TIDAL musicâ question often pops up in forum discussions because many people still associate TIDAL with the original âartistâownedâ branding and JayâZâs 2015 relaunch event.
- In more recent chatter, users tend to debate whether Blockâs ownership has helped or hurt TIDALâs product direction, with some praising better funding and others complaining about slow feature updates or UX issues.
In forum threads, you will often see people phrase it as: âJayâZ started it, but Jack Dorseyâs company owns it now, with artists still holding smaller pieces.â
TL;DR
TIDAL is no longer primarily âartistâowned.â Block, Inc. is the main owner and decisionâmaker, while JayâZ and the original artist partners now play the role of influential minority shareholders.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.