- TIDAL's artist-owned beginnings and the royalty claim
- TIDAL's fan-centred royalty experiment
- Why TIDAL ended its direct artist payouts
- What TIDAL's single plan means for per-stream pay
- What decides your TIDAL royalties
- How TIDAL royalties reach you
- TIDAL royalty changes at a glance
- Making TIDAL work alongside other income
- Frequently asked questions
TIDAL doesn't publish a fixed per-stream rate. Your royalties depend on your share of plays from its paying subscribers and on your label or distributor deal, and every TIDAL listener has been on a paid plan since the free tier closed on April 10 2024. Its old 10% direct-to-artist payment ended in April of 2023.
TIDAL has always sold itself to musicians as the service that pays artists better, so it's no surprise people want a number. The trouble is that TIDAL's own reputation is built on claims and experiments that have changed several times. I've pieced together what TIDAL announced, what it scrapped and what it means for your royalties now, using named sources for each point.
TIDAL's artist-owned beginnings and the royalty claim
According to Wikipedia, Aspiro launched the Tidal brand on October 28, 2014, and after Jay-Z's company bought it, the relaunch was promoted as the first artist-owned streaming service. Tidal claimed in 2015 to pay the highest percentage of royalties to artists and songwriters in the streaming market, though later informal studies found some other services paid a higher percentage.
Ownership changed again when Square, now called Block, agreed in March of 2021 to buy a majority stake. Block later reported that stake as 86.8%. Since then the changes that matter most to artists have come under Block's ownership, and each one shifted how TIDAL money is shared out.
TIDAL's fan-centred royalty experiment
In November of 2021, TIDAL announced two artist features tied to its top HiFi Plus plan. According to MusicTech, royalties from HiFi Plus subscribers would be calculated in a fan-centric format, meaning what a subscriber paid would be linked to the artists that person streamed, rather than going into one big shared pot. On top of that, 10% of each HiFi Plus subscriber's fee would go as a direct-to-artist payment to the artist they listened to most.
For a niche artist with a small but devoted following, that model sounded ideal: your fans' money would follow your music. It's the main reason TIDAL still turns up in conversations about fairer streaming pay.
Why TIDAL ended its direct artist payouts
The direct payment didn't last. According to TechCrunch, TIDAL ended the programme in April of 2023. Chief executive Jesse Dorogusker said 70,000 artists were enrolled, but payouts totalled 500,000 US dollars, far short of what TIDAL had hoped for. The structure rewarded only each listener's single most-played artist, so emerging acts rarely benefited.
TIDAL said it would put at least 5 million US dollars into TIDAL RISING, its programme for emerging artists, instead. That's promotion and support rather than a per-stream payment, so it won't show up as royalties on your statement, but it's worth knowing about if you're early in your career.
What TIDAL's single plan means for per-stream pay
The next change came in 2024. According to Engadget, from April 10 TIDAL removed its HiFi Plus and HiFi tiers to create one individual plan, called Tidal, and got rid of its free tier. For artists, the useful part is that every listener on TIDAL now pays a subscription, so no streams come from a free, ad-supported tier.
What I couldn't confirm is whether the fan-centred calculation carried over once HiFi Plus disappeared. TIDAL hasn't spelled that out in any public statement I've found, and I won't guess. If it matters to you, ask your distributor how TIDAL royalties appear on your statement, or check TIDAL's artist help pages directly.
What decides your TIDAL royalties
Even without an official rate, the moving parts are the same ones that shape any subscription service:
- Your share of plays. More plays from TIDAL subscribers means a bigger share of the money set aside for royalties.
- Where your listeners are. Subscription prices differ by country, so a play in one market can be worth more than in another.
- Which rights you own. Recording and publishing royalties are paid separately, so a songwriter needs their songs registered to collect the publishing side.
- Your label or distributor. They receive TIDAL's payment and pay you under their own terms, after their own fees.
Be wary of any website quoting a precise TIDAL rate. TIDAL doesn't set one, so those numbers are estimates averaged from someone's statements, and your own mix of listeners could look quite different.
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How TIDAL royalties reach you
Like most streaming services, TIDAL pays the rightsholder that delivered the music. If you release independently, that's your distributor, and the distributor's dashboard is where TIDAL earnings appear, usually a few months after the plays. If you're signed, your label collects and accounts to you under your contract. Any tax paperwork comes from whichever company pays you, and an accountant can tell you what applies in your country.
If you're comparing services, my explainer on what Apple Music pays per play covers the one big service that has published an average figure, which is a handy benchmark when you read your TIDAL lines.
TIDAL royalty changes at a glance
| What | How it works | Source checked |
|---|---|---|
| Artist-owned relaunch | Promoted as the first artist-owned service | Wikipedia |
| Fan-centric royalties | Announced for HiFi Plus subscribers in 2021 | MusicTech |
| Direct-to-artist payment | 10% of a HiFi Plus fee, ended April of 2023 | TechCrunch |
| TIDAL RISING | At least 5 million US dollars for emerging artists | TechCrunch |
| Single plan | HiFi tiers merged and free tier dropped, April 10 2024 | Engadget |
Making TIDAL work alongside other income
TIDAL's audience is smaller than the biggest services, and many of its subscribers chose it for sound quality. That makes it a good home for carefully mixed releases, and a reason to deliver your best masters to every service rather than treating TIDAL as an afterthought.
Most working musicians I know rely on a mix: streaming, shows, merch, teaching and online products. If you'd like ideas for the last of those, my guide to digital products you can sell online is a good starting point, and my YouTube marketing strategy shows how to turn releases into video that brings new listeners to every platform.
Frequently asked questions
Does TIDAL pay more per stream than other services?
TIDAL doesn't publish a per-stream rate. It claimed in 2015 to pay the highest percentage of royalties, but later informal studies found some other services paid a higher percentage.
Does TIDAL still pay artists directly?
No. According to TechCrunch, TIDAL ended its direct-to-artist payment, worth 10% of a HiFi Plus fee, in April of 2023 and moved funding to TIDAL RISING.
Does TIDAL still have a free tier?
No. According to Engadget, TIDAL dropped its free tier and merged its HiFi plans into one paid plan from April 10 2024.
How do I get paid by TIDAL?
Through your distributor or label. TIDAL pays the rightsholder that delivered your music, and they pay you under their own terms.
Is TIDAL still owned by Jay-Z?
Block, formerly Square, agreed in March of 2021 to buy a majority stake and later reported it as 86.8%, according to Wikipedia.
