Jack White answering TMR Vault Members and fans questions and comments about the new TIDAL offer for vault members:
hey y’all,
first off let me say that everyone at third man is excited to be part of offering tidal hifi to our vault members that we treasure so dearly. tmr has always had the goal of preserving the sanctity of music and helping artists who have no voice get thier music heard. below i’ll try to answer some of the more common questions we’ve been hearing. dont worry, none of this is done in negative reaction, i get where you’re coming from and why you are feeling certain ways, but here’s an artists take on the comments and questions, i hope it helps understand where all the musicians are coming from. it’s a tough time for music, i encourage people to be on the side of supporting musicians, giving to them, not taking from them. god bless
jw
III
Q: With the amount we pay for the vault, tidal should be free, not just discounted
jack white: third man does not own or make decisions for tidal, this deal is incredibly cool and took us a long time to work on the logistics of. third man is artist owned, and tidal is artist owned. it wasn’t something we had to do at all, but we wanted
the vault members to all know they come first and they have a portal to this artist run streaming service through us now.
Q: What a joke. I refuse to support The vault and tidal. if you claim music is so special and sacred then why charge a premium for people to enjoy it?
jack white: how much did you pay for that last movie you saw at the theater? and how much did that movie cost to make? dont devalue musicians man, support them. making records is expensive, believe us, i dont see people saying we should go to the movies for free, or netflix should be free. that state of music is in flux, be on the side of supporting creativity, not taking from it. this gives you that chance.
Q: I can purchase a new record every month with that $20.
jack white: please do! when i was a teeenager i would go to the record store twice a month and buy 4 records each trip, anywhere from between 12 and 18 bucks a piece! and guess what? i still do! and with tidal, for 9.99 you have every record they can possibly get there hands on to stream. in the car, in the gym. places you can’t play vinyl right? think about it: how much did you spend on movies this year?
Q: sorry Jack, but I have 0 interest in making jayz more money.
and
Q: I'm sorry, but I don't understand how Jack could be involved in this awful business model. Totally screws the fans, I thought he was a bit above that. How much money does he need?
jack white: a streaming service owned by artists is the first step, it’s not about the rich getting richer. it takes artists that can get peoples attention to be able to make a scenario possible for those artists that dont have a voice to get in a position where they aren’t struggling, and beleive me third man records is full of artists the mainstream’s never heard of and have no voice or power in the system. have you heard of rachelle garnier? what about the smoke fairies? drakar sauna? pujol? the gories? those are just some of the up and coming artists on third man that try to make a living in music. and if you stream thier songs….they get paid for it. and they get to LIVE and not take second jobs….and make MORE music! i support keeping musicians you love in business. we want a full third man roster page on tidal that you can stream hundreds of records on, and each time that artist gets something. that’s a beautiful thing.
and also…do we tell steven spielberg we dont need to pay him anymore to watch his movies? he’s made enough off of us right? he should show his new films for free right? haha
Will TIDAL last? Who knows? As is? Almost certainly not. We are in the most dynamic stage of the music industry ever seen. How can we (well, those of you) be busting on Jack for an artist owned streaming model when it takes Taylor Swift (!) to make Apple share just a little $$ for a little while, and then “we’ll see” with Apple? JACK – the challenge for you guys is we need more more more more artists available on TIDAL. Everyone – we are in the middle of musical evolution. I can tell you this – 10 years from now, streaming will NOT be how we listen to most of our music. I can also tell you this – the reason I am poor is I don’t know what we will have evolved to – I just know I’ll be there
This article is an interesting perspective on the streaming subject that reminded me of another one I recently read at NPR about the loss of informative archival systems in music— http://fyimusic.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/d/B938467D31DA089D/7C7A24CD1E5581BE44D0DD5392A9C75A
This part struck me: ""Recently some overly enthusiastic kid was pumped up in telling me how he loved the blues. His history extended way back, as far back as the Yardbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
He had heard about BB King, but only because his name was mentioned in a news report on a rock radio station that has a habit of playing white men’s versions of old blues standards.
He had heard Muddy Waters’ name, too, but that was the extent of his knowledge about the man who wrote a song that became the namesake of the Rolling Stones.
Can I blame the kid for his ignorance of history when his points of reference are Rock FMs that spit lists of a few hundred records, many by white boys who cribbed their commercial success from old blues masters?
You bet I can, because he lacks intellectual curiosity. Google telling me two plus two makes three doesn’t mean it’s so.""
This is what I would love to see from Tidal at some point down the line— Information to go along with their expert curation. Not every music fan has the advantage we have of Jack and Third Man encouraging us to explore and learn about the musicians on their roster. There would be tremendous value in Tidal becoming more than a musical buffet that provides greater recompense to artists, in it becoming that PLUS an educational archive through which listeners can actually learn something about the music on the site. That could make Tidal truly outstanding. Or would it test the limits of listeners’ intellectual curiosity?
I will admit, when Jack White tells me to try something, I usually do. Call me a sheep, but I’ve been to a Jack White concert, I’ve met him in person and he’s exactly what he claims to be. I’m a Vault member, which is a great way for TMR to stay in contact with their fans. In this case, we have Tidal. Which is an innovative idea that needs support on the ground or it will never get better. Jack White has always taken care of his loyal fan base. I do not think it is too much to ask to have artists be paid for their work being listened to. It shows our appreciation for their art and let’s them make music as a career, not just a side project. Jack’s investment and desire to see small/unknown bands succeed is part of what makes him the business man he is, but also why I respect him and hold him in the highest regard. I have Jack’s solo logo tattooed on my arm. Because it reminds me to stand strong for things I believe in. Truly, resurrecting and maintaining rock and roll is a lifestyle choice. Sometimes money has to be spent to show support for causes we champion. That’s the way of the world, I’m afraid.
Holey moley, if this isn’t a coup for Tidal, I dunno what is: “Prince Yanked His Music From Every Streaming Service Except TIDAL”— http://www.forbes.com/sites/abigailtracy/2015/07/02/prince-yanked-his-music-from-every-streaming-service-except-tidal/
I just signed up!
I do hope Tidal will grow stronger after the initial dip in app downloads.
Tidal had me when I read that albums could be downloaded and listened to without an internet connection which I understand quite well having used Google Play and also Hoopla. Tidal does not hog phone resources if one understands how to utilize that service.
I have been browsing albums with Tidal on my phone and I like how everything is organized. It is simple enough to switch at what rate you want to listen to music.
Jack White continues to offer a great value to Vault members and to anyone who purchases albums.
Thanks!
I need a different internet provider…
Agreed, Dan Clawson! I don’t do the Internet at home – I only have access at work, which is slow most days. That’s when I get to check out what I want to check out and Jack has been in the “news” a lot lately. I don’t typically jump on forums either, so while I won’t likely be subscribing to TIDAL, I have been and will be a Vault member until he ends it. I love the absolute surprise of finding something super special, waiting for me at home, after a long day. Though there have been some packages that have been slightly disappointing, he has more than made up for them with the ‘amazingness’ that have been the past two and the upcoming Loretta Lynn GOLD that I am just dying to see! With all of this said, my hubby has been an aspiring musician for a very long time. We just received the EP discs this morning, so we are excited. I know how it feels to not be able to do what your heart desires and it is amazing to know someone who has the (excuse my french) balls to do what he wants to do. It costs A LOT of time, money and energy to make one album, let alone multiples. No need to complain about having to PAY for someone’s art. So with that, I admire everything that Jack has done and continues to do for all of us. Appreciate it – it moves.
BRAVO! @ Dan Clawson! Very nicely said.
Hello Everyone and Jack (if you see this):
I am a Vault and Tidal member- and I have been enjoying Tidal and I also receive it for a great price due to my Vault membership- thanks to you and Thirdman. I especially have enjoyed, and watched your North Dakota show several times on Tidal.
Don’t let the naysayers get you down. haven’t had the chance to meet you in person, but it is clear to me that your heart is in the right place, and this is evidenced for what you do for music, and especially the blues. Although I am technical manager, I have spent portions of my career in marketing and not only appreciate the Vault packages that I receive, but also know that the Vault packages and The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records collections are expensive to produce due to their craftsmanship and your intricate, attention to detail – yet they are more than fairly priced so that we can all afford them. That said, I don’t participate in forums like this often, but I was so frustrated the other evening flying home from a business trip, when I learned about some of the questions you had to field about Tidal, I had no choice but to write. I am not only grateful for what you do, Jack there are thousands of us, but I wanted to be on the voices thanking you personally. Not only do you educate others, and share your passion as well as evangelize the sanctity of music, but you also demonstrate that passion in your work, and your actions.
On behalf of all of us Jack, thanks. I am looking forward to make my personal pilgrimage to Third Man some day soon.
Dan
Goonie goo goo.