Tidal makes some big changes before Apple Music’s debut
With Apple’s new streaming music service set to be announced next week at WWDC, Jay Z’s embattled competitor Tidal has announced some significant changes.
Most importantly, students with an .edu email address can subscribe to the service for a 50 percent discount. That cuts down the basic tier pricing from $9.99 to $4.99 a month. The Hi-Fi plan that brings higher quality music drops to $9.99 per month from its usual $19.99 monthly cost. That should definitely help snag some customers.
For the first time, music fans can listen to the service on their Mac or PC with a new beta app. You can download that here. Previously, you needed to open a Web-based version of the player on your desktop.
Tidal also promised that a revamped iOS app will be arriving soon. Some of the improvements will include an improved search functionality, more personalization options, a more prominent offline mode button, and updated menus and icons.
The Tidal iOS app is universal for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad/iPad mini. It can be downloaded now on the App Store for free.
And with the new Ticketmaster integration, Tidal listeners can view tour dates and purchase tickets of their favorite artists.
Apple is widely expected to unveil a new streaming music service during the WWDC keynote next Monday, June 8. Even though the offering will cost subscribers the industry standard $9.99 per month, Apple is looking to differentiate it with exclusive music and music channels programmed by famous artists.
For other news today, see: Beats Pill XL speaker has been recalled as a fire hazard, Cord cutters can Watch Showtime on iOS and NFL on Yahoo, and Here’s how to crash and fix your Skype account.