TIDAL Inflated ‘Hundreds Of Millions’ Beyoncé, Kanye Streams [Report]
TIDAL is being accused of inflating streaming stats for two of its most visible artists/partners, Beyonce and Kanye West. The millions of false plays resulted in overpayments to the two superstars at the expense of other artists, according to a study of leaked documents by a Norwegian newspaper.
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Beyoncé and Kanye West's streaming stats on TIDAL have been manipulated with hundreds of millions of false plays, according to an expose by Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv. "The two superstars and their record companies have been paid more at the expense of other artists," according to the damning report.
Because payments to all artists and labels are calculated as a percentage of total revenue, payments to others would mean smaller because of inflated stats and payments for Beyonce and Kanye West.
Kanye West, Beyoncé and her husband Jay Z are co-owners of the music streamer. TIDAL, which was also previously accused of manipulating Jay-Z's streaming stats, denies any wrongdoing.
Despite having between one and three million subscribers, TIDAL reported massive early streams after both artists released their new projects. In May of 2016 Kanye West's "Pablo" streamed 250 million times in just 10 days on TIDAL, and Beyonce’s "Lemonade" streamed 306 million times in 15 days, according to TIDAL in their reports to music charts and trade magazines.
The extra plays were added to the accounts of real TIDAL users. " I love Beyonce, but 11 hours?," law student and TIDAL users Tiare Faatea told the newspaper.
