TIDAL, the entertainment streaming service, announced that they will be launching a new “HiFi Plus” membership option that aims to be more “user-centric.”
According to a new article on Music Business Worldwide, its new ‚Äúfan-centered‚Äù royalties approach has the support of over 100 label and distributor partners. TIDAL will now have 3 membership tiers–the HiFI Plus, HiFi, and TIDAL free.
The free tier provides access to TIDAL’s entire catalog with minimal interruptions.
With the new fan-centered royalties model, attribution of royalties will now be based on individual streaming activity rather than the industry standard of aggregation and payouts from a large royalty pool.
Other platforms are experimenting with new models too–in March, Soundcloud launched what they call ‚Äúfan-powered royalties,‚Äù which, like TIDAL, is designed to be more equitable in terms of payouts.
TIDAL has also initiated direct-to-artist payments from subscriptions, in addition to royalties, where up to 10% of the subscription fee will be paid to artists directly.
The company has also partnered with financial platforms like Square, PayPal, and Cash App to process these payments.
Jesse Dorogusker, Head of TIDAL, said: “We’re building a platform that values art, artists, and culture, and for the first time opening the platform experience up to a wider group of fans with the free tier.” 
