Jay-Z
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Jay Z is calling Tidal users to personally thank them for signing up
In addition to signing on a roster of big name artists to help lure new subscribers, Jay Z is handling some of the customer service duties as well. Mr. Carter is calling folks who signed up for Tidal's music streaming service to personally thank them. It sounds odd, but the company confirmed to us "that's 1000% true." He's not the only one, though, as Tidal executive Vania Schloge told Business Insider that Jack White and others are calling subscribers, too. Using one of the services' features, artists can log in and see exactly who is listening to their music alongside contact info for those people. It's certainly a personal approach, but one can wonder if that star-packed relaunch didn't provide the boost in new subscriptions the company hoped. The company also announced today that it replaced CEO Andy Chen with Peter Tonstad, who was in charge before Mr. Carter & Co. took ownership. Of course, being a part owner of the project is certainly motivation to get more involved. I just wonder if Jay Z used a video phone. [Image credit: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images]
Apple is reportedly trying to poach artists from Jay Z's music service
The streaming music business is getting particularly cutthroat, it seems. According to Billboard, Apple exec Jimmy Iovine has been trying to lure the first-tier musicians from Jay Z's artist-owned Tidal service (possibly for an upcoming streaming option) by paying them "more money upfront." Jay Z isn't directly confirming the rumor, but he isn't exactly denying it, either. He explains that a poaching attempt just reflects Iovine's "competitive nature" and that the two have talked about their rival offerings. The rapper claims that he's trying to make nice, and that he doesn't "have to lose in order for you guys [at Apple] to win" -- he sees the two sides trying to help artists. That may be true, but something tells us that Apple isn't about to make life easy for a direct competitor... especially one whose emphasis on exclusives and special deals could hurt Apple's bottom line. [Image credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation]
Jay Z's version of Tidal is an artist-owned streaming service
The ink on Jay Z's purchase of music-streaming service Tidal isn't quite dry, but that's not stopping the musician/entrepreneur from getting a start on things. The company announced earlier today that it would offer a non-lossless option for half the cost of its original high-definition plan -- down to $10 per month from $20. That's not all. At the official relaunch proceedings this evening, Alicia Keys revealed that a lineup of artists, including Jay Z, Kanye West, Jack White, Deadmau5, Daft Punk, Usher and many others, are all part owners in the endeavor. The goal for Tidal moving forward is to offer a music-streaming option that benefits both artists and listeners alike. With artists becoming increasingly frustrated with compensation from the likes of Spotify and others, it'll be interesting to see how Tidal keeps its musicians happy while offering an attractive slate of both regular and lossless tunes, as well as HD video and editorial content.
Jay Z's first order of business: Cut Tidal subscription fees in half (update)
If the ability to stream Taylor Swift's music has you eyeing Tidal, Jay Z & Co. just sweetened the deal. Ahead of a relaunch event this evening, the streaming service cut it's monthly rate in half. That's right, instead of shelling out $20 for spinning the lossless catalog, you'll now need to commit $10 per month. According to the company's Twitter account, the drop in price doesn't mean that you'll get access to less, either. Subscriptions still include the same content, with high-definition streaming being the key feature. The move allows Tidal to compete with the likes of Spotify, Rdio, Beats Music and others when it comes to pricing. What's more, early reports indicate that exclusive content and artist partnerships are two things Mr. Carter hopes will lure eager listeners to the service. While the finer points are unclear right now, we'll surely get a clearer picture during the event that's set to begin at 5PM ET today. Update: Turns out, that price drop is for an entirely new tier. The $10/month rate is for a regular version, while lossless streaming will still set you back $20 -- similar to Deezer's $5 and $15 options for Premium+ and Elite.
Jay-Z bought music streaming service just in time for T-Mobile deal
It looks like Jay-Z didn't just buy Spotify rival Tidal for the lulz, as the high-quality streaming service is now available with T-Mobile's Music Freedom. As a refresher, that package lets Uncarrier customers listen to all the streaming music they want without cutting into their data caps (you still have to pay the monthly streaming fees from Spotify et al, of course). The only catch is that it's limited to T-Mo-approved services, though it does include the most popular ones like Spotify, Google Play, iTunes Radio and Pandora. Fortunately for Jay-Z, he concluded the $56 million deal to buy Tidal just a couple of weeks ago; and with the T-Mobile deal in place, there's now a strong incentive for a lot more folks to try it.
Jay Z might not get his own Spotify rival after all
Jay Z's purchase of Tidal, the streaming service with better audio quality than rivals like Spotify, is not a fait accompli after all. Over 10 percent of investors in Swedish owner Aspiro have rejected the bid, enough to block the sale. The minority shareholders association said that so far, Jay Z hasn't responded by either acquiring a smaller share, raising his bid or withdrawing it altogether, adding that "the motive for the bidder's passivity is shrouded in mystery." The group rejected the $56 million offer despite the fact that it would have netted them a 59 percent gain at the time of the offer. Perhaps they figure they can do better, but if more investors withdraw support by the March 11th deadline, the whole thing could be null and void.
Daily Roundup: Tesla Model X, DARPA YouTube robots and more!
Tesla's Model X has been spotted in the wild; a new DARPA technology lets robots learn from YouTube videos; and Verizon is changing its policy on "supercookies." Get the details on these stories and more in the Daily Roundup.
Jay Z is buying Spotify rival Tidal for $56 million
So this is something. The Scandinavian press is buzzing right now with the news that Jay Z is buying the Norwegian company behind the high-quality music streaming service Tidal. The rapper and entrepreneur made a 464 million Krona (roughly $56 million) bid which the company's reviewing board has already reviewed. It's recommending all its shareholders accept the offer.
Samsung launches Magna Carta app, users will get Jay-Z album early and for free on July 4th
Samsung has launched the Magna Carta app, the vehicle through which one million Galaxy S 4, S III and Note II owners will be able to download Jay-Z's latest opus for free. Download it today, and Mr. Carter (Carter / Carta, geddit?) album will arrive on your handset on July 4th, three days ahead of the CD's global release. Users will also get behind-the-scenes footage, lyrics and track sharing options. It's available for free at the Play store, with the obvious caveat that it'll only work on the aforementioned trio of phones. After all, if you're having phone problems, he feels bad for you son, he's got 99 problems, but Samsung's patronage ain't one.
Boston-area Starbucks testing wireless smartphone charging; Starbucks, Google and AT&T back PMA standard
The Duracell Powermat and the Power Matters Alliance are charging forward in their quest to make wireless charging of smartphones all the more ubiquitous, today announcing the appointment of several notable companies to the PMA's shareholder board: Google, AT&T, and Starbucks. Subsequently, said appointments will result in various initiatives involving the wireless charging standard -- select Boston-area Starbucks will get PMA standard-based wireless charging spots, AT&T is selling PMA standard-based charging devices in "select markets," and ... uh ... Google is just kinda throwing its support in. Google's Chief Internet Evangelist (best job title ever?) Vint Cerf already serves as honorary member of the PMA's board, so perhaps that's more than enough. Ah, and of course, if you're into charging mobile devices wirelessly while getting $2,500 Remy Martin bottle service, Jay-Z's 40/40 Club is also supporting PMA-based wireless charging spots. Of course. For a full list of spots, check the PR below the break.
Jay-Z streaming Brooklyn show live tomorrow, in a YouTube state of mind
Between the end of an eight night string of shows, the whole Brooklyn Nets thing and the launch of a new YouTube channel, Jay-Z's got plenty to celebrate. And just to show he cares, he'll be streaming the last of his shows from the Nets' own Barclays Center tomorrow at 9:30 PM ET to celebrate. Sure it's not quite like being there, but at least you don't have to deal with the post-show traffic at the Atlantic Avenue station after the show.
99 problems for Jay-Z and an executive producer gig for NBA 2K13 is one of them
Shawn "JAY Z" Carter-Knowles will serve as the executive producer of NBA 2K13, 2K Sports announced this morning. Mr. Z will curate the soundtrack and "lend artistic vision" to the world's top (by default for past few years) NBA video game.Jay-Z's selection of 24 songs (including six of his own tracks) for the game's soundtrack can be found after the break. NBA 2K13 will hit the court on October 2.
You crazy for this one, Happy Giant: Jay-Z wants his Facebook game 'to be better than a Zynga game'
When Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter isn't busy keeping it real, he's got an empire to run. That means everything from his bread and butter (music production – it's perpetually Jay's "final album") to his assorted business ventures (everything from clothing to pro sports teams). And this week he added one more job to that list: game developer. Er ... not exactly. You see, Jay-Z has conscripted "high-end brand service" company Happy Giant to craft a Facebook game, entitled (fittingly enough): Empire.The game left closed beta this week, and we grabbed its creator, Happy Giant's Michael Levine, to discuss the game's famous progenitor, its mobile aspirations, and keeping it real. We're told that last one is pretty important to Mr. Carter."This is anything but a typical licensing deal," Levine said. Apparently, former Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola is a partner in Levine's other business venture, a kid-focused virtual world known as "Planet Cazmo," and he proposed a meeting with Jay-Z's former lawyer. "A guy named – and this is his real name - Michael Guido," Levine said.From there, Guido introduced Happy Giant to Jay. "We really worked closely with them for the last nine months, with Jay and his team, just trying to make everything as authentic as possible." How authentic, you ask? Apparently to the point of contention over which rule set the cee-lo minigame would contain. Again, we're told Jay likes to keep it real.
Google gets ready to play traditional TV, preps original YouTube channels
From rumors to reality: YouTube is taking a crack at original programing. Sources close to the Wall Street Journal say that the streaming outfit is partnering with a broad mix of media firms, production companies, and savvy content creators to launch 100 channels, generating over 25 hours of original content each day. Most of these channels aren't slated to launch until next year, but when they do they are said to be backed by names like Ashton Kutcher, Tony Hawk, Jay-Z, and Madonna. YouTube is reportedly paying content partners over $100 million to jump-start this project, and hopes to create quality that can be sold to Advertisers. YouTube's blog confirmed that the first of these premium channels is set to launch next month, with subsequent channels coming in waves over the next year. Hit the source link below so see YouTube's official announcement and an early list of channels and content providers. We know you'll join us in giddy anticipation of Shaquille O'Neal's Comedy Shaq Network .
WoW Moviewatch: Run This Raid
You can always tell a super-mega-hit WoW movie pretty quickly after its release by how many times it lands in the mailbox of your intrepid WoW.com journalist team. To help put this in perspective, Run This Raid by CollegeHumor has hit my box more than any other video except BLIND. Nothing about Run This Raid is machinima or fan-created, although it's pretty obvious at this point that CollegeHumor has at least a few folks who have played the game. But, still, when something like this hits the community, your intrepid team will cover it. Run This Raid is a song-length parody of Run This Town. However, instead of Jay-Z, we get some WoW players and a night elf. I have to say, I found the whole thing pretty fun. The video was put together with an eye for fun. And like many such parody videos, Run This Raid seems to have an underlying fondness for the game that keeps the joshing all in good fun. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
Skullcandy debuts Jay-Z-approved Roc Nation Aviator headphones
While they may not exactly look like it, these new Roc Nation Aviator headphones are fairly understated compared to some of Skullcandy's other offerings, and it looks like you have Roc Nation co-founder Jay-Z to thank for that. Available in your choice of three different colors, the Aviators sport a foldable design and an "optics-inspired" polycarbonate speaker housing, along with a pair of 40mm full-range mylar drivers with neodymium magnets, and a tangle-free nylon cable complete with an in-line mic and controls. Still no word on a price just yet, but Skullcandy says the headphones will be available sometime in June. Oh, and envy had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of these.
Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden
When celebrities get on board for a game, the inevitable pitfall is the dreaded interview where said celebrity awkwardly tries relating to the "gamer" crowd (trust us, we know all about it.) With DJ Hero dropping this week, celebrity sponsor Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to talk about how much of a gamer he is (hint: not so much) and his support for the cultural awareness opportunities inherent in the recently released turntable title."Immediately, of course, with the success of Guitar Hero, you know, [DJ Hero] piqued my interest, and then on top of that it was something from the hip-hop culture. So, anytime you can, you know, I can expand the genre and introduce it to new audiences and widen it -- you know, the reach of what hip-hop can do -- you know, I'm interested in that," Jay-Z explains in the video interview (embedded after the break).As far as Jay-Z's gaming roots, that's another story altogether. "I was really a gamer," Jay-Z urges. "Like, ask any of the guys. Like, I used to -- Madden and all these type of games," Jay-Z awkwardly cobbles together, "I was, like, really a problem. Like, those were my things -- for awhile." Presumably, until, you know, he got all that other stuff that impresses us, right? It's okay, Mr. Z -- you don't have to impress us with your gaming prowess, too. It's not like we have the numbers of "the guys" to fact check your claims anyway.
DJ Hero Renegade Edition's Jay-Z, Eminem compilations detailed
When you get home with your gigantic DJ Hero Renegade Edition box, make sure to get everything out of it. We know the temptation to just unfold the case/table thing and start playing the game with that kind of irresistible-looking novelty controller will be overwhelming, but if you turn the package over and shake it, exclusive greatest-hits CDs from Jay-Z and Eminem will fall out.Rolling Stone got the full list of tracks on both sets. Jay-Z's disc sticks exclusively to past hits, but Eminem's includes a brand-new song, "Taking My Ball." That's right, the "unreleased tracks" mentioned on the box is really unreleased track. And it'll premiere on Eminem's Sirius radio station over a week before the game comes out, so it's more like no unreleased tracks.After the break, as a reminder, we've included the full list of the songs in the actual game.%Gallery-68978%[Via Kotaku, This is 50]
Activision remembers DJ AM's work on DJ Hero
Late last week, Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein tragically and suddenly passed away. He was known in the world of gaming for his work on DJ Hero, contributing both music and ideas to the upcoming music/rhythm project. We watched as he and Travis Barker warmed up the crowd for Eminem and Jay-Z just a few short months ago at E3 2009. Having worked with Goldstein so closely as of late, we asked Activision for comment. VP of music affairs Tim Riley told us over the weekend:We are deeply saddened by the loss of DJ AM, who was a tremendous talent, a trusted partner and friend to DJ Hero. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. AM was instrumental in the making of DJ Hero and we hope that his work on the game will be a fitting tribute to his creative spirit and musical talent.Joystiq would like to offer our condolences to DJ AM's family, friends, and anyone else effected by his passing.
Screen Grabs: DJ Hero makes cameo in Kid Cudi video, comes back full circle
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. Something very peculiar popped up while we were watching Kid Cudi's "Make Her Say" music video. Just as the song is winding down, Mr. Cudi (also known as Scott Mescudi) can be seen "air scratching" while someone in the above frame takes the pantomime one step further with DJ Hero's turntable peripheral. The connection runs much deeper, though: the song was produced by Kanye West, whose rise to fame arguably came when he produced Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint... and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, in turn, happens to be one of the two artists (along with Eminem) promoting DJ Hero. Funny how that works out. Video after the break, and jump to the 3:03 mark if all you really want is another glimpse of the controller. [Thanks, Laxuo and AG Beast]
