How To Cope If Tidal Does Go Under?

[sdolezalek]

It surprises me that Tidal has done so little with variable pricing.  We subscribe to cable and satellite TV and chose a range of packages that can massively increase the monthly cost.  We subscribe to online sports packages to stream via video.  Why does a one size fits all price have to be the only answer for music? Yes, it complicates things but I'd be willing both to pay more but I'd also subscribe for a lot less (my guess is that 75% of Tidal content is of no interest to me and that the 25% that interests me is of no interest to others).  Why have us pay for the entire catalog when we don't actually want it?  Why not charge also based on the number of titles in our library?  If I like it enough to keep it, make me pay half/one-third of what I'd pay for the CD.  

 

There are a lot of ways hi-res streaming can be priced more creatively than it has been.  In an era where we individually price tickets to sporting events, to concerts, to hotel room, to airline tickets, etc.; we can certainly write software that more creatively and profitably prices streamed music.  Streaming is the way of the future; we just having figured out the right pricing model yet.  

 

Has anyone looked at this from the other side? How much money do the artists/music publishers loose if Tidal goes out of business? I don't think we are going back to a purchase model, so the entire industry better figure out a way to make streaming profitable. 

[sdolezalek]

2 hours ago, left channel said:

 

Like this?  https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/plans/music-streaming-subscription

 

 

That's the easy and obvious part. So yes, BUT...  How about also offering me subscriptions to different genres.  I might only want Jazz and Classical and be willing to pay 75% of what I pay for everything just for those two categories.  How much is Tidal paying others by giving me access to the whole catalog when I only use a bit of it?  How about charging me for the total number of files I have "favorited" so they show up in Roon?  Why should someone with 2,000 files pay the same as someone with 500 files? 

 

Put differently, if Tidal was $100 per month and these "lesser" choices were available for $50, $25 or $15/month, wouldn't you want that choice?  To my mind, the streaming companies are leaving revenue on the table because, so far, their investors haven't forced them to be profitable.  They are pursuing the early Amazon model: control the market, be willing to lose on every sale. Then, when you have them hooked and the competition is gone, increase prices slowly to become profitable...