Lesson learned: never doubt Hov. It’s being reported that Sprint has acquired a 33% stake in JAY Z‘s music streaming service, TIDAL; this is expected to give the communications giant (and it’s users) VIP access to TIDAL’s exclusive content. In addition, a source also claimed that Sprint paid a whopping $200 million for their piece of the company, along with $75 million to be set aside annually for “artist marketing”. In the words of Future, sensational.

Said JAY Z in a statement revealed earlier today:

Sprint shares our view of revolutionizing the creative industry to allow artists to connect directly with their fans and reach their fullest, shared potential… [Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure] understood our goal right away and together we are excited to bring Sprint’s 45 million customers an unmatched entertainment experience.

Adding to that, Claure — who will also take a seat on TIDAL’s Board of Directors — spoke highly of JAY and the rest of TIDAL’s artist-owners, who built “TIDAL into a world-class music streaming platform that is unrivaled in quality and content.”

The news comes after a roller coaster of obstacles that TIDAL has faced since JAY Z & Co. relaunched the service in 2015, which includes a rather awkward opening ceremony, constantly revolving executives and lawsuits. TIDAL has also faced seemingly insurmountable competition from current stream king Spotify and the rapidly-expanding Apple Music, along with field entries from countless others (ex. Amazon, YouTube). Now, it appears that TIDAL has an additional machine that can help push it further upward.

Read the full statement in its entirety here.

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The post JAY Z Won: Sprint Buys 33% Of TIDAL appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.