Tidal: its features, how you can listen to high quality music, how it works, how many devices you can connect and how much it costs.
The streaming service Tidal is part of an epochal change in the world of music. Over the years, the music industry has changed and today the CD and vinyl are part of a distant past. In the present, music can be listened to with greater ease, in streaming, that is, paying a monthly fee and without downloading anything.
After the success of Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms, in the last period is depopulating Tidal, a service that differs from others for some important features. What is Tidal, how does it work and what is the cost? Let's find out the secrets of this service for music fans, from the free trial to the arrival in Italy until how many devices you can connect.
Tidal: how to listen to music in high quality
Tidal is a music streaming service that was launched in 2014 by the Norwegian company Aspiro. The following year, the project was bought by another company, Project Phanter Bidco, led by American record producer, rapper and producer Jay-Z, husband of Beyoncè. "We created Tidal for the fans," Jay-Z explained, talking about the platform "There's more than just music. There's videos, exclusive concerts, premiere event tickets, sporting events. Tidal is the place where artists can give more to their fans without intermediaries [...] Our actions will speak louder than words. Abbiamo creato Tidal per portare alla gente la migliore esperienza e per aiutare gli artisti per concederla ai fans ancora ed ancora".
Tidal oggi offre una libreria musicale con oltre 60 milioni di canzoni facendo concorrenza a Spotify che ne contiene circa 40 milioni. Si distingue dagli altri servizi di streaming musicale inoltre perché consente di ascoltare musica in alta qualità, un valore aggiunto per gli appassionati di musica.
Il segreto della piattaforma è nel formato audio che viene utilizzato per lo streaming o per il download dei brani su smartphone o PC. Punta infatti a un audio di qualità offrendo differenti profili a seconda dell’esperienza d’ascolto che si vuole vivere.
- Tidal Premium è il servizio base che consente di ascoltare le canzoni nel formato AAC @320kbit/s, dunque la qualità è la stessa dei concorrenti.
- Tidal HiFi rappresenta un miglioramento notevole con una qualità dell’audio superiore e simile a quella di un CD a @44.1kHz/16 bit.
- Tidal MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) è infine la qualità audio migliore a cui si possa ambire con un formato di 192kHz/24 bit perfetta per un impianto Hi-Fi o cuffie professionali.
Come funziona Tidal
Come funziona Tidal? Il servizio è disponibile sotto forma di app ufficiale in tutti gli store. L’applicazione è scaricabile sia su smartphone Android che Apple. Per Mac e PC invece l’azienda mette a disposizione sul sito ufficiale un player musicale per scaricare i brani oppure riprodurli. Si può inoltre scaricare un software dedicato per integrare le funzioni del sito. Ogni utente ha a disposizione il proprio profilo in cui sono registrati i generi e gli artisti preferiti. L’interfaccia è molto semplice e facilissima da utilizzare. Tidal inoltre offre anche la sezione "Esplora" in cui si possono cercare nuovi contenuti, e la sezione "Video".
In un’altra sezione denominata "La mia musica" infine sono raccolti tutti i brani divisi in album, artisti e playlist, la cronologia di quelli scaricati e la possibilità di creare mix personalizzati. La musica che si ascolta può essere trasferita verso dispositivi esterni in modalità Wi-Fi. Ogni volta che si ascolta un singolo è possibile ricevere alcune informazioni fra cui la qualità dell’audio, individuabile in basso nella schermata. Questo parametro si può modificare in base alle esigenze dell’utente passando da Alta a HiFi sino a Master.
Tidal, la prova gratuita
Per attivare Tidal dunque basta andare sul sito o scaricare l’app e registrarsi. Dopo aver inserito la mail e la password si potranno ascoltare liberamente i brani. Tidal offers a free trial that lasts thirty days, during which you can take full advantage of the music streaming platform. To use Tidal for free, however, you must always enter a method of payment (Paypal or credit card). The trial period can be interrupted at any time and does not cost anything. Once it's over, the user can decide whether to continue or cancel the service.
How much does Tidal cost
How much does Tidal cost? Compared to competing services, it does not provide a plan that is free, but with advertising. After the free trial period of thirty days in fact there is the possibility to choose between several paid plans. The Premium and High Fidelity plans let you enjoy music at its best and experience a much higher audio quality. The subscription plans are numerous and designed according to the users' needs, with different prices.
Tidal Premium is the basic profile offered by the platform. It allows access to over 60 million tracks and has a quality of 320kbit/s, with numerous variants. The Standard one is provided for a single user and costs 9.99 euros per month, Family allows you to share the account with several people in the same household, with the possibility of extending your subscription to five users. The cost is 14.99 euros per month. For students, Tidal has designed a special offer, called Student, which allows you to have a Premium account for 4.99 euros per month.
Those who want higher quality audio can instead opt for a subscription that makes a difference: Tidal HiFi. With this profile you can listen to tracks with a quality equal to CD support at @44.1kHz/16 bit, without any compression. Users who take out this subscription also have access to songs in Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) format in 192kHz/24 bit. Also in this case there are several variants that can be adapted to the needs of individuals. The "Standard" variant is basic and is available for a single user at a cost of 19.99 euros per month, while the "Family" variant is designed for a family of up to five people at a cost of 29.99 euros per month. Finally we find the "Student" version for users who have presented a regular certificate during the registration phase. In this case the account costs 9.99 euros per month.
Tidal, supported devices
Tidal can be easily used on your PC or Mac and on your Apple or Android smartphone. Moreover, the streaming service is compatible with many other devices, such as Samsung Smart TVs and AndroidTVs, the AppleTV, Google's Chromecast and Amazon's FireTV. A number of smart audio devices are also compatible, such as speakers from Sonos, Pioneer and Oppo, and cars from Mercedes and Volkswagen (particularly those with Apple CarPlay or AndroidAuto).
How many devices can you connect? You can use your Tidal account on up to five devices per user. This feature can be managed via a page on the streaming service after you sign up. If you change your mind, you can remove, add or change the chosen devices. That's not all: Tidal can also be used offline. On Android and Apple smartphones you can download songs or playlists and then listen to them offline.
Tidal and Spotify: the differences
At first glance, Tidal and Spotify seem to be two very similar services. In reality there are some important differences. For one thing, Tidal offers a much larger catalog, with over 60 million songs compared to those present at its rival. The former is also very famous, especially in the United States, because of its video and concert offerings, while Spotify is moving more and more towards podcasts.
As far as services and prices are concerned, the differences are many. Spotify offers a free version where you can listen to music that is offered by the platform, skipping a song you don't like just five times in an hour and listening to some commercials. Tidal, on the other hand, does not rely on advertising, but offers a one-month free trial.
Most often, users who sign up for Tidal after having Spotify wonder how it is possible to import the playlists they create. The platform allows you to import song lists created by users to any type of service (not only Spotify also Amazon Music and Apple Music) using two programs: TuneMyMusic and Soundiiz. The software allows you to save playlists and export them in very few steps and without losing anything.
For whom Tidal is suitable
Tidal is a very special service that stands out from other platforms offering music streaming. Its users have at their disposal an infinite catalog, but above all versatility of listening, between mobile and fixed devices, many types of subscriptions and a very high audio quality. The very young appreciate it because of the Premium plan with a low cost and facilities for students, while audiophiles appreciate the care of every detail. Finally, thanks to agreements of the company, some electricity managers and telephone operators propose promotions that are linked to Tidal and that can be activated online with many advantages.