In the face of criticism levelled at it by industry naysayers who believe it only exists to benefit wealthy musicians, Jay Z’s new streaming service Tidal is trying to prove that it does care about the little guy, and it’s done so by taking the customer service experience to brand-new heights.
According to Business Insider, Jay Z, Jack White and a bunch of other big-name artists have begun calling Tidal users personally to thank them for using the service.
Tidal executive Vania Schlogel has told the business rag, “[Jay Z] called some of his fans and one of them made the funniest comment. He said ‘This is the best customer service call I’ve ever received!’”
Tidal’s daring new approach to customer service comes less than a month after its star-studded launch party featuring Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna and pretty much every musician ever. But, despite pop music’s elite uniting in front of the camera and behind the scenes in what we can only assume are 5-star luxury call centres, Tidal could nonetheless still be in some troubled waters.
It seems Jay Z ‘s newest venture now has 99 problems and finding a new CEO is one, after the head of Tidal’s parent company Aspiro, Andy Chen, reportedly left the company and was replaced by an interim leader. According to Swedish news site BreakIt, Chen stepped down on Friday, alongside 25 other staff members.
The exact number of staff who have been laid off remains in dispute. In a statement, the company claims it only got rid of “a handful” of positions. The Sydney Morning Herald further reports that an anonymous source with knowledge of the changes has confirmed “about a dozen” staffers have left.
Either way, Tidal has defended the departures as being best for business. Their full statement reads:
“TIDAL’s new interum [sic] CEO is Peter Tonstad — a former CEO of parent company Aspiro Group. He has a better understanding of the industry and a clear vision for how the company is looking to change the status quo. He’s streamlining resources to ensure talent is maximized to enhance the customer experience. We’ve eliminated a handful of positions and refocused our company-wide talent to address departments that need support and cut redundancies. TIDAL’s offices globally will remain and grow: we are already hirinig for several new positions now. We’re excited about our future and what’s in-store for fans who want the best listening experience.”
Since its launch last month, Jay Z has been spruiking Tidal as a way for artists to have greater control over their work and earn more money from digital music. But the service has since come under fire from fellow musicians, including members of Mumford And Sons and Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, who reckon the site only benefits those artists who are already rich and famous.
But who knows? Maybe they’re just sore they didn’t get a call from Jay Z.
Watch:Jay-Z – 99 Problems
