I’ve been a mostly-okay-with-it Spotify user for years now.
Yes, the payouts suck, there’s no major discovery anymore thanks to The Algorithm™ (all hail) and for some reason they’re doing videos now? Like, okay. Settle down there, big wheels.
But the convenience is there and hell, most of my music is there. Say I want to listen to Juno Reactor, Seth Sentry, and Fear Factory in the same playlist? They’re both there. Add them to “another 40 hour playlist #5” and you’re cheerin, Ed Sheeran.
And then I got into headphones that didn’t suck (more on that in another post), and FLAC files, and I wrote this post/incoherent babble a while back now.
Oh yeah, and Daniel Ek sucks.
So I switched over to Tidal (read: I signed up for Tidal and forgot to cancel my Spotify account, so I’m running both. Sigh.) and have done so for a number of months now. Seeing as I’m already basically a homebrand version of Dankpods I figured it’s high time I put my thoughts on it out there.
WHAT IS IT? IS THIS THAT TIKTOK TREND THAT HOSPITALIZED ALL THOSE KIDS?
Ok so you’ve got Spotify or Apple Music, right? Tidal is essentially the “pro” version of that. Offering up audiophile quality lossless audio where possible, Dolby Atmos, and pushing a “by artists, for artists” agenda.
It pays artists out better, too ($0.01284 per stream, vs $0.00318 per stream for Spotify). Nifty.
Beyond that for the general end user not a lot is different. You can still cast music to IoT devices, use Apple Carplay/Android Auto, make playlists, the works.
SO WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT?
While the difference is about a bee’s dick worth, it’s nice knowing I’m pumping the best quality possible music into my head. Chuck some good headphones on and you’re golden. Add into the mix support for Dolby Atmos and similar fanciful things and you’re in for some good listening.
The UI is familiar to anyone who has used YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, etc previously. You can add to playlists, you can queue songs, there’s a co-listening/”go live” feature, it’s all there, for the most part.
Speaking of things being “all there”, the gang’s all here, too. I’ve only noticed a few songs missing from Tidal that were on Spotify, but they were either meme songs or easily findable again. I even checked just now if Donnie Dumphy’s “Havin’ A Time’ is available, and sure enough, he’s there, in all his ADHD glory.
Again, better payouts for artists you enjoy is a big draw if you care about that sort of thing (or at least, do a cute little pearl clutch any time you load up a song or two) and -given Spotify’s recent turn to a world beyond music- it just plays music. That’s all it does. No podcasts, no videos, no canvases, no bullshit. It is more or less an iPod Touch app, and I love it for that.
It’s not that much more costly than other offerings, either. Tidal costs AU$12.99 p/m for an individual plan, and a family plan for AU$16.99 for up to six people. A student plan for AU$6.49 also exists, but I’m old and not studying. Maybe I should start my midlife crisis a week early and study STEM for cheap music streaming.
Compared to Spotify’s AU$13.99/$23.99 for individual and family, respectively, it’s not so bad.
SO WHAT SUCKS ABOUT IT?
The UI is kinda shit. Maybe this is a total PEBKAC error and if it is, I’ll own it, but at least Spotify remembered I hit “shuffle” and “repeat” in between uses. Tidal -to my knowledge- doesn’t. Which you know, is fine, I guess, but I am also an incredibly lazy and forgetful man. The “add to queue” and “play next” works, sorta, maybe. If the forecast for the day isn’t cloudy. Overall using Tidal just feels a bit unrefined and clunky. (Given audiophiles’ knack for owning equipment that is a pain in the ass to use and maintain, maybe this is a feature, not a bug.)
A blessing and a curse: no podcasts. I at the very least tolerate Spotify for its holistic approach to on-demand streaming. I can chuck on “Songs I say I don’t like but I secretly do #46” on and then listen to “Yet Another Two White Dudes With Microphones Whinging About Shit” straight after. No can do with Tidal. You wanted a music app? You’re getting a music app.
I’ve also noticed it’s a bit finicky when I’m using Google Maps. On Spotify? Play/skip/pause is right there. Tidal, on the other hand worked fine for a bit, then it decided it didn’t want to be associated with Google Maps and fucked the fuck off.
Also, if you’re a tightass? Then Tidal might not be for you. There’s no free option beyond a 30 day trial. No ad-supported version, no “basic” version, you either pay for it or GTFO.
Lastly, there’s either “Individual”, “Student” or “Family” plans. I had the Spotify “Duo” plan and it was great for me and my partner at the time (when I remembered to renew the subscription). I really wish there was a little more flexibility with Tidal in this respect.
OK, OK. SHUT UP ALREADY AND TELL US IF IT’S WORTH IT
It’s a wee bit of a mixed bag.
I like it, I feel better ethically about using it, I’ll happily keep using it, but it might not be for everyone. If you care enough about your music that you buy headphones more expensive than some people’s cars then Tidal might be the platform for you (if you can look past the quibbles I’ve had).
If you just want music, lots of it, in a convenient package, then maybe look for another option. There’s enough here to be satisfied with your experience, and nothing I’ve encountered has been a major dealbreaker, but a lot of it kinda falls into the “could be better” column that I can’t 100% recommend it for everybody.
I NEED A NUMERICAL RATING BECAUSE I TL;DR’D THIS WHOLE POST
Shit. I dunno. 7/10? Spotify does it better, but Spotify also kinda sucks in different ways. Youtube has more niche content (read: meme songs), but if it’s music you want, then with Tidal, music you shall have. In the best quality possible.
Till next time…
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EDIT: Tidal does videos. but they don’t make as much of a big deal about it.