Tidal just made sharing music easier. Will Apple and Spotify follow?

[UPDATED] With the addition of universal links, Tidal just made a key avenue of music discovery – sharing music with friends – much easier.

Using Tidal’s new “one link to rule them all,” friends can play any shared Tidal track, artist, or album on their preferred streaming service with “no fuss or feeling left out because they’re not on the same platform.”

UPDATE: Shortly after we published this story, the team at feature.fm reached out to share that they are powering Tidal’s new universal smart links. In fact, at the bottom of each one, it says “powered by Feature.fm,” as you can see in this example from Mike Warner.

Link sharing has long been problematic for Apple Music users because many of their friends use Spotify. And while Spotify links can open in its free version, you’re out of luck if you want to save the track or album to your Apple or other music streaming service’s library.

Tidal and feature.fm just changed that, and competitors should take notice.

“We figured out that sharing music should be a whole lot easier. Now, with just a couple of taps, your friends can play any Tidal track, artist, or album you share on their preferred streaming service – no fuss or feeling left out because they’re not on the same platform,” Tidal posted this week. “Just your friends enjoying your latest musical obsession, regardless of where they listen. To the friend using that ‘you’ve probably never heard of it’ platform, good news: we’re working to add your preferred service, too.”

On Reddit, where a user first noticed the new feature, reactions have been very positive.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.