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lifestyle WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 Awards Jay Z leads stars in rebranded Tidal streaming service ap mogul Jay Z on Monday launched the rebranded Tidal has paid out $2 billion toward artists since 2007. The difference means that Tidal offers higher sound quality music streaming service with major star backing, hoping to Streaming-which allows users to play unlimited on-demand for audiophiles with advanced sound systems-but that casual lis- Rshake up the growing industry through high sound quality music online-has quickly shaken up the industry, narrowly edg- teners using simple laptops or smartphones may face slower and artist control. With veiled swipes at streaming leader Spotify, ing out CD sales in revenues last year in the United States. Spotify, connections. Tidal will also try to distinguish itself through ample Jay Z brought out musicians including Madonna, Kanye West and also from Sweden, says it has 60 million users with 15 million of videos. the masked electronic duo Daft Punk, who will all be equity part- them paying-usually $9.99 a month. Unlike Spotify, Tidal does not ners in the new Tidal. offer a free service and is generally twice as expensive, at $19.99 a More freedom for artists? Jay Z earlier this year bought Tidal, which markets itself to month, although for the relaunch, it also offered a more basic Jay Z did not speak at the announcement, which came after audiophiles, by spending $56 million for its Swedish-listed parent $9.99 service. Tidal streams at 1,411 kilobytes per second-well hours of promotion for the relaunch on social media. But he gave company Aspiro. At the announcement in New York, singer Alicia above the 320 for premium subscribers of Spotify, which offers an interview to industry journal Billboard in which he billed Tidal Keys hinted that some musicians could choose to release materi- even lower levels for free users. as a new way for artists to experiment with form. “It doesn’t have al exclusively or early on the artist-owned service. “Tidal is dedi- to be three minutes and 30 seconds. What if it’s a minute and 17, cated to cultivating a sound business enterprise that promotes what if it’s 11 — you know, just break format,” Jay Z said. He the health and sustainability of our art and our industry around acknowledged that some music labels were nervous about the the world,” Keys said. project but described it more as a “record store” than a new “We believe it is in everyone’s interest-fans, artists and the record company. industry as a whole-to preserve the value of music and to ensure Spotify already has a range of rivals including US-based a healthy and robust industry for years to come.” Tidal released a Rhapsody and Google Play. Paris-based Deezer, which is strong in promotional video in which musicians accused unnamed stream- Europe, last year entered the United States as a high-end-only ing companies of treating them as mere commercial products. service which, like Tidal, uses FLAC rather than more common “They are the carrier; we are the artists. Somehow things shifted MP3 files. Apple-which pioneered digital music through iTunes and we went into the background, and it has to come forward,” in 2001 — has sought to expand in streaming as the market Madonna said. shifts away from permanent downloads. Apple bought rap mogul Dr Dre’s Beats and is reportedly Focus on quality planning an entirely new streaming service. Tidal entered the Other artists who will be shareowners in Tidal-with the exact United States late last year and operates in 31 countries, with six financial details not disclosed-include Jay Z’s wife Beyonce, rocker more to come this year including Australia and Germany. Before Jack White, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, rapper Nicki Minaj and R&B Jay Z’s purchase, Aspiro said it had 512,000 paying users for Tidal singer Rihanna. Tidal said it was also working on the relaunch and sister service WiMP. — AFP with Sprint, one of the major US cellular providers, which is owned by Japan’s Softbank. The artists signed a declaration to the sounds of Radiohead, the British experimental rockers who along with Taylor Swift have accused Spotify of devaluing music through meager payouts to artists. Spotify has rejected the accu- Jay-Z arrives to the 2015 sations, saying that it is a rare source of growth in music sales and Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Madonna speaks at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Beverly Hills, California. — AFP Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles. — AP Rolling Stones announce North Selena’s dad: Mixed feelings American stadium tour about fans marking star’s death he Rolling Stones are zipping across including video screens and special effects. wenty years after Selena’s murder, the The Historical Museum of Lake Jackson - the North America again. The rock band Other cities on the “Zip Code” tour include Latin world will remember “The Queen city where Selena lived until age 9 - is show- Tannounced a 15-city stadium tour yes- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Tof Tejano” with concerts, lookalike con- ing an exhibition of Frank Herring photo- terday that will kick off May 24 at Petco Park Wisconsin; Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh, tests, dances and a massive festival. But her graphs of the star, through April 18. In San in San Diego, California. Other stops include North Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; Detroit, father has mixed feelings about the celebra- Antonio, where Selena won nine consecutive Columbus, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Michigan; Buffalo, New York; and Quebec, tions. “Of course I’m happy that, today, peo- Tejano Music Awards, Selena’s face graces the Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Canada. Tickets will go on sale April 13. The ple remember Selena more than ever,” cover of the Current - a weekly English-lan- Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee. The “Zip “Zip Code” tour will coincide with the rere- Abraham Quintanilla Jr said via phone from guage magazine. On Saturday, a public rela- Code” tour will once again reunite singer Mick lease of their seminal album “Sticky Fingers” his office in Corpus Christi. “But, as Jehovah’s tions firm will shoot a tribute video featuring Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarists on May 26. The 1971 recording features such Witnesses, we don’t celebrate deaths or Selena lookalikes. And in April, the city will Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Stones classics as “Brown Sugar,” “Wild birthdays, and we don’t want people to think host a 5K “Bidi Bidi Fun Run” with all proceeds The last time the Rolling Stones played Horses” and “Dead Flowers.” The band inter- we’re behind all the festivities. “It’s crazy. It going to the Selena Foundation, which aims North American stadiums was during their “A rupted last year’s “14 On Fire” and resched- grows every day with events everywhere, but to help children in crisis. One of her hits was Bigger Bang Tour” in 2006. They opted for are- uled all their Australia and New Zealand we’re not organizing them. Our family never called, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” na venues for their “50 & Counting” tour in dates after fashion designer L’Wren Scott, got together every year on the day of her California, Arizona, New York, Illinois, 2012 and 2013. “We love being out on the Jagger’s companion since 2001, took her murder, because there’s nothing to celebrate, Colorado, Nevada and other states will play road and it is great to come back to North own life. The tour concluded Nov 22, 2014 at and this year won’t be the exception,” he host to a variety of Selena commemorations, Zayn Malik performs during the group’s concert at the America,” said Keith Richards in a statement. “I the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, New added. “We remember our daughter every including concerts, lookalike contests, an St James theatre in Wellington. — AFP can’t wait to get back on the stage!” And quite Zealand. — Reuters single day. We don’t need a special day to the stage it will be, including a section that remember her.” juts far into the crowd, allowing the Stones to Selena began performing as a child, interact with fans. As is the band’s practice, singing in Los Dinos, a band formed by her New Zayn Malik the stage design will employ cutting-edge father that featured her brother AB on bass technology to enhance the performance, and sister Suzette on drums. She won a Best Mexican-American Album Grammy for “Live,” demo prompts One had several hits in the US and was about to cross over to the English-language pop mar- ket when, on March 31, 1995, she was mur- Direction row dered by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of demo of a new song by former One Direction star Zayn her fan club. Her posthumous album, Malik has been posted online, sparking a row between “Dreaming of You,” which was mostly record- its producer and one of Malik’s former bandmates yes- ed in English, topped the Billboard 200 chart A and stayed atop the Latin charts for nine terday. “I Won’t Mind” features soulful vocals by Malik over a simple acoustic guitar loop and lyrics such as: “We are who we months. Saldivar is serving a life sentence. are when no one’s watching/And right from the start, you know I got you.” One Direction, who have sold over 50 million Karaoke nights In this Feb 27, 1993, file photo, Selena records worldwide, announced last week that Malik was leav- Despite his reservations, Quintanilla has performs at the Houston Livestock ing the band but that they would continue as a foursome.