Jay-Z‘s new streaming service, Tidal, has attracted a wave of criticism since it launched just two weeks ago, but comeback kids Mumford And Sons are pulling no punches when it comes to calling out the musical money-spinner.
Despite the enterprising rapper’s lofty claims that the platform will be more beneficial for artists, the newly electrified Mumfords aren’t so sure.
“We wouldn’t have joined it anyway, even if they had asked,” Marcus Mumford proclaimed in a new interview with The Daily Beast. “We don’t want to be tribal.”
“I think smaller bands should get paid more for it,” he continued. “Bigger bands have other ways of making money, so I don’t think you can complain. A band of our size shouldn’t be complaining.”
“When they say it’s artist-owned, it’s owned by those rich, wealthy artists… I don’t want to align myself with Spotify, Beats, Tidal, or whatever. We want people to listen to our music in their most comfortable way, and if they’re not up for paying for it, I don’t really care.”
Guitarist Winston Marshall also had some harsh words about the expensive yet supposedly superior quality music streaming site, branding the A-list artists who took part in its star-studded launch ceremony “new school fucking plutocrats”.
“We don’t want to be part of some Tidal ‘streaming revolution’ nor do we want to be Taylor Swift and be anti-it,” he added, referring to Tay-Swizzle’s public break-up with Spotify last year.
“I don’t understand her argument, either. The focus is slightly missed. Music is changing. It’s fucking changing. This is how people are going to listen to music now—streaming. So diversify as a band.”
In other words, you really fucked it up this time, didn’t you, Jay-Z? Mumford And Sons are on the promo trail for their upcoming album, Wilder Mind, which is due for release in Australia on 1st May.
Watch: Mumford And Sons – The Wolf (Official Audio)
