Tidal

[Hifiman]

Worrying times at Tidal.
https://www.engadget.com/entertainm...-entire-product-marketing-team-143045120.html

 

[Rodolfo]

Worrying times at Tidal.
https://www.engadget.com/entertainm...-entire-product-marketing-team-143045120.html

Ouch! I don't subscribe, but I do admire a company that focuses on offering quality music rather than not-music, or only-a-little-on-music.

 

[DiggyGun]

This is is from the Fortune magazine.

Start;
Jack Dorsey told staff at music streaming app Tidal that they’re in for another mass layoff.

The CEO of Block, which owns the music streaming platform, said in a note to staff Wednesday morning and viewed by Fortune that Tidal needs to operate “like a startup again.” This requires organizations across the company to operate with a “much smaller team,” Dorsey said.
“So we’re going to part ways with a number of folks on our team,” Dorsey explained in the note. “We’re going to lead with engineering and design, and remove the product management and product marketing functions entirely. We’re reducing the size of our design team and foundational roles supporting TIDAL, and we will consider reducing engineering over the next few weeks as we have more clarity around leadership going forward.”

Dorsey did not provide a number of the amount of people to be affected by the job cuts, but speculation among company insiders is that as many as 100 employees could be laid off, which would amount to roughly a quarter of Tidal’s staff.

This is the second layoff at tidal in less than a year. The streamer cut 10% of its staff in December 2023. And in July, Dorsey told Block staff to prepare for a reorganization of the entire company, in order to take Block back “to how we started as a company,” as Fortune reported at the time.

Block acquired a majority stake in Tidal for roughly $300 million in 2021. The streaming music service was at one time under the majority control of Jay-Z, who remains on the company’s board, but struggled to gain traction amid competition from Spotify and Apple music. In 2023 a judge dismissed a shareholder lawsuit against Block over the acquisition according to Reuters, but noted that “it seemed, by all accounts, a terrible business decision.”

A Tidal spokesperson said in a statement to Fortune: “We have made some internal changes to our TIDAL team to focus on serving artists in the most meaningful way. This involved the elimination of some roles across our business and design teams. We are going to be smaller, focus on fewer things, and move with a relentless approach to product development.”
End;

 

[nopiano]

It’s a bit worrying. I don’t know how these companies survive, and the fewer there are the more likely that we end up with just Apple and Amazon which imo would be a disaster.
As it happens I prefer Qobuz, but these services need to continue and not get caught in a downward spiral or price wars.

 

[Witterings]

Amazon HD is also a niche service with no 'Connect'.

I use connect all the time (although I think they call it cast) to all my WiiM streamers either individually or as groups from Amazon Music.
I can also see Chromecast devices / groups so not sure what you're trying to "Connect" to but it certainly works with some products.

 

[Witterings]

It’s a bit worrying. I don’t know how these companies survive, and the fewer there are the more likely that we end up with just Apple and Amazon which imo would be a disaster.
As it happens I prefer Qobuz, but these services need to continue and not get caught in a downward spiral or price wars.

I do agree with this as if they can "kill" the competition with low procing now they'll crank the cost up when they're the only survivors.

 

[manicm]

I use connect all the time (although I think they call it cast) to all my WiiM streamers either individually or as groups from Amazon Music.
I can also see Chromecast devices / groups so not sure what you're trying to "Connect" to but it certainly works with some products.

By 'Connect' I mean connecting to the streaming service directly through their native app. It's possible via Spotify and Tidal, and Apple but with Sonos devices only.

I know some devices have apps which will connect directly to Amazon and maybe Qobuz, through the streamer device app. But to my knowledge neither currently allows direct connection via their native apps.

And Qobuz is a niche service that is not as widely available worldwide as Spotify or Tidal. Neither is Amazon.

 

[Witterings]

By 'Connect' I mean connecting to the streaming service directly through their native app. It's possible via Spotify and Tidal, and Apple but with Sonos devices only.

I know some devices have apps which will connect directly to Amazon and maybe Qobuz, through the streamer device app. But to my knowledge neither currently allows direct connection via their native apps.

And Qobuz is a niche service that is not as widely available worldwide as Spotify or Tidal. Neither is Amazon.

It's really not clear what you're actually saying but if I use the Amazon App on my phone or tablet to "Connect / Cast" to a WiiM streamer the phone is in essence a remote control and the streamer connects directly to Amazon's servers ..... which is wat i THINK you're saying Spotify, and Tidal do on Sonos Devices?

Amazon music combined with a WiiM I believe is one of the few options to connect gapless @ 24/192 but could stand to be corrected on that.

 

[manicm]

It's really not clear what you're actually saying but if I use the Amazon App on my phone or tablet to "Connect / Cast" to a WiiM streamer the phone is in essence a remote control and the streamer connects directly to Amazon's servers ..... which is wat i THINK you're saying Spotify, and Tidal do on Sonos Devices?

Amazon music combined with a WiiM I believe is one of the few options to connect gapless @ 24/192 but could stand to be corrected on that.

That is what I'm saying - with a caveat: if you're using Chromecast to cast or connect you're never going to get full high-resolution playback. 24/192 is going to be downsampled. Diito Airplay.

Compatible devices like HEOS will allow full fat high res to be streamed directly from Tidal app.