Jay Z’s plight to turn Tidal into the top music streaming service has been rough, and he’s blaming the former owners according to this new lawsuit.
After a year at the helm of the Tidal music streaming service, Jay Z has filed suit against the previous owners of the service saying he was given inflated subscriber numbers.
The legal action was first reported by Norwegian press as a “giant lawsuit” seeking $15 million from Scandinavian company Aspiro and major shareholders Norway’s Schibsted Media Group and Verdane Capital, a Stockholm-based private equity fund. Jay Z launched Tidal in the U.S. one year ago after paying Aspiro $56 million.
“It became clear after taking control of TIDAL and conducting our own audit that the total number of subscribers was actually well below the 540,000 reported to us by the prior owners,” the company said in a statement sent to USA TODAY. “As a result, we have now served legal notice to parties involved in the sale. While we cannot share further comment during active legal proceedings, we’re proud of our success and remain focused on delivering the best experience for artists and fans.”
The suit comes on the heels of Tidal announcing that it has surpassed 3 million subscribers globally — while delivering 250 million streams of Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo in the first ten days of its availability.
