Jay Z, Kanye West and Tidal have been hit with a lawsuit that claims they bamboozled fans into subscribing to the streaming service through Kanye’s statements that The Life of Pablo would only be available on Tidal.
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Currently, The Life of Pablo is available on Apple, Spotify and Google Play, and the lawsuit is coming after Tidal for false advertising.
According to Variety, the lawsuit alleges Tidal’s “exclusive” Kanye album release was a calculated endeavor to lure 2 million customers, credit card info and all, into a subscription, raising the company’s valuation by up to $84 million.
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“By the time Mr. West changed course and broadly released The Life of Pablo, the deceptive marketing ploy had served its purpose: Tidal’s subscriber numbers had tripled, streaming numbers were through the roof, and Tidal had collected the personal information, credit card numbers, and social media information of millions of deceived consumers,” states the lawsuit.
The lawsuit not only aims to reimburse users for any subscription fees they may have paid due to the promise of Kanye’s “exclusive” album release, but also wants to change users from having to provide credit card information for free trials, a strategy called “negative option” that most subscription services use to convert free trials into paying customers.
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The outcome of this lawsuit could set the tone for Tidal’s growth and have an impact on subscription service options in general.
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