Financial technology company Square, Inc. said Thursday that it has reached an agreement to acquire majority ownership of Tidal, the music streaming service partly owned by Jay-Z.
Under the deal, Square will pay $297 million in cash and stock for Tidal, Jay-Z will be named to Square's board of directors, and he and other artists who currently own shares in Tidal will remain stakeholders.
Tidal will operate as a distinct entity alongside the point-of-sale hardware and software offerings of San Francisco-based Square, the payments company founded by CEO Jack Dorsey, who is also co-founder and chief executive of Twitter.
Tidal has presented itself as the artist-friendly alternative to other music streamers, and Square says it will take that phenomenon further for musicians just as it has for businesses with its financial systems.
“It comes down to one simple idea: finding new ways for artists to support their work,” Dorsey said in the statement announcing the deal.
Jay-Z said in the statement that the “partnership will be a game-changer for many.” I look forward to all this new chapter has to offer!"
The U.S. economy is being held up in part by the AI boom, but that boom could still lead to broader prosperity or inequality, says a Nobel Prize winner.
Foundation Robotics co-founder Michael LeBlanc explains how humanoid robots are moving from the lab to military and industrial missions and what comes next.
Jeff Burnstein, President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), discusses humanoid robots, AI, smart manufacturing, and the future of U.S. industry.
Should kids be banned from social media? Nick Lichtenberg of Fortune breaks down the global push to restrict under-16 users and what it means for Big Tech.
Miso Robotics CEO Rich Hull discusses Flippy Fry Station, the future of AI-powered restaurant automation and how acquiring Zume's IP could reshape food robotics
After two years of AI-fueled spending, Wall Street is asking what's next. Gil Luria breaks down monetization, valuations, winners, losers, and AI's future.
