Advertisement

Prince pulls his music from all streaming services but Tidal

Spotify, Apple Music and Rdio are no longer offering Prince's music but Tidal, Jay Z's new service, has it available.

July 3, 2015 at 6:58AM
(NPG RECORDS/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Prince/ Photo by Ralston Smith for NPG Records
Prince/ Photo by Ralston Smith for NPG Records (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

For someone who recently acted like he didn't know what Spotify was, Prince sure learned the streaming landscape quickly. On Thursday morning, he pulled his music from every music streaming service except Tidal, Jay Z's new service.

"Prince's publisher has asked all streaming services to remove his catalog. We have cooperated with the request, and hope to bring his music back as soon as possible," said Prince's Spotify page.

A copy of the Spotify page was distributed by Prince's publicist. Apple Music and Rdio also have removed Prince's music.

Prince has been super-protective of his music, videos and even image. He has kept his legal team busy trying to keep unauthorized use of his work off YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet.

Prince hooked up with Tidal in May to broadcast his Rally 4 Peace concert from Baltimore. Tidal boasts sizable royalty payments to artists, reportedly more than 75 percent of revenue.

The Purple One's request does not affect songs he's written that have been recorded by others such as "Manic Monday" by the Bangles, "The Glamourous Life" by Sheila E and "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor.

Advertisement
about the writer

about the writer

Jon Bream

Critic / Reporter

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.

See Moreicon

More from No Section

See More

Peek inside homes for sale in the Twin Cities area.

card image
Advertisement
Advertisement

To leave a comment, .

Advertisement