JAY-Z’s ‘4:44′ Arrives on All Major Streaming Platforms, Except Spotify
For those of you who refused to buy into a Tidal subscription, or who didn't go the Snoop Dogg route and get an illegal download of JAY-Z's much-acclaimed 4:44, the album has now arrived on all major streaming platforms, one week after its release. Well, except for on Spotify.
The album is streaming on Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited and obviously Tidal but you Spotify subscribers are out of luck. In April, JAY-Z removed his entire catalog from Spotify without explanation. Billboard, however, points out that some theorized it was because the streaming service’s ad-based freemium tier paid less than subscriber-only services. Some people speculate that model is what encouraged Jay to start his own streaming service, Tidal, back in 2015.
Other artists have also pulled their music in the past, troubled by Spotify's model, which makes all its music available to both its free users and paying subscribers. According to Billboard, back in April, that may've been rectified, since Universal Music negotiated a deal with Spotify that "allowed artists to restrict music to Spotify's premium tier, potentially driving greater revenues."
As for 4:44, which has already been certified platinum, it now contains three all new bonus tracks— "Adnis," "Blue's Freestyle/We Family" and "MaNyfaCedGod." "Blue's Freestyle/We Family" has been trending all morning because Jay's daughter, five year-old Blue Ivy, shows up with an adorable freestyle on the song.