Tidal artist-shareholders pulling their catalogs. These services, and other industry sources, are doubtful that most artist-shareholders will give Tidal exclusive streaming rights to their catalogs. Instead, they expect Tidal to have limited, short-term exclusives worked out on a case-by-case basis, much like the way artists and labels negotiate with Apple for exclusive, value-added content and limited-time exclusives on tracks and albums.
That said, one title has already disappeared from Spotify; Jay Z's first album, Reasonable Doubt, was pulled from Spotify on April 7 (only in the United States). The album's revocation may be as much a political statement as a business decision. A source close to his label says that Jay Z wants to make sure his content is available on paid services. "The Spotify thing is more about not giving him the choice," says the source, referring to Spotify's long-standing insistence on making all of its licensed music available to both paying and free users.
Artists with greater flexibility have already released exclusives with Tidal. Through her Westbury Road Entertainment imprint, Rihanna has already released two exclusive tracks, "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen," exclusively through Tidal. Madonna, two albums into a three-album licensing deal with Interscope Records via her Boy Toy, Inc. production company, has premiered a teaser for an upcoming video for "Ghosttown." Jack White, who licenses his music to Columbia Records via his own Third Man Records, has offered old White Stripes videos. Non-music exclusives have been popping up, too, such as a 50-minute Western from Erykah Badu and Daft Punk's 2007 film Electroma.