Jay-Z sold his control of Square six years after buying the Tidal business. The 2015 purchase contract was for about $56 million, and the 2021 contract was for $297 million. There is a peculiarity of the story that must be remembered: the sums are different because they are different contracts and consequently, It is impossible to determine a rapper’s personal gain with these statistics alone..
The first step towards this happened on January 30, 2015, when Project Panther, a company controlled by Jay-Z, submitted an offer for all shares of the Bidco company. The Swedish company is the parent of Aspiro, Tidal and WMP. With an estimated offer price of SEK 464 million, the firm was valued About 56 million dollars At the exchange rate of the day, about 49.5 million euros at the time.
The acquisition was completed in March. On the 13th of the month his condition was fulfilled, and on the 30th, Jay-Z presented his services with the participation of other superstars. This includes Beyonce, Alicia Key, Rihanna, Madonna, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Chris Martin and others. This was the result of the previous step, which became an advantage for everyone: musicians had the opportunity to own a part of the platform with high-quality audio and exclusive content.
Agreement with square and finishing figures
The next step was taken six years later, on March 4, 2021, when Square, co-founded and led by Jack DorseyAnnounced an agreement to gain control of the tides. The deal between the two companies was worth US$297 million in cash and stock. They were approximately 246.8 million euros at the exchange rate on the day of the announcement and, as in previous cases, there are several factors that contributed to the decision to sell.
The fintech payment company, on the one hand, intends to offer some of its financial tools to artists. Tidal, on the other hand, will continue within the group, operating independently in terms of its management structure. This was intended to ensure that the contracts covered the needs of both parties.: Square will have control of Tidal and will be associated with a minority of musicians.
Upon closing of the deal on April 30, 2021, the entity acquired an 86.8% stake. However, since Square’s reports to the SEC refer to aggregate consideration of $302 million in its letter to shareholders in May, the said amount should be distinguished from what was initially announced. In fact, the accounting reports show that the components of the purchase were considered separately and that subtracting 56 from 297 does not determine the amount each shareholder received.
Tide Upload and Music Sale Terms
The relationship between music platforms and fintech companies is of particular importance for the sector in 2026. It can be used to upload songs to platforms with “uploads” and sell music through these means. The first is a set of different tools for individual campaigns. Also, the platform has various features to upload your own song and sell it directly to followers. For a budding artist who wants to upload their work, that means something different than someone who wants to publish their music and start making money all at once.
Instructions for using Tidal Upload are available for users of various ages. This is the method for releasing a version of a song directly to Tidal, and in this case, according to information on the page, updated on June 5, 2026, Upload can be used by anyone 18 years or older with an account in the US, UK, European Economic Area, Switzerland or Canada..
The platform allows you to share songs with friends. Additionally, if an uploaded song is not listed, it will not appear in the standard results. The default status of a new song is “Unlisted and accessible via link.” Upload it doesn’t show up in search; Only visible when the track’s author settings are changed.
On the other hand, you cannot earn money from listening through this tool. More specifically, it is clearly stated that Uploading songs to Tidal and selling them to followers are two different things. When uploading music, you cannot earn money from views. However, sharing can be done with a single link: sharing free music online allows someone to listen without a subscription, while adding it to your Tidal collection requires a subscription. Additionally, anyone trying to use Tidal Upload needs to own the necessary rights to the tracks and control their distribution
The guidelines for selling music on the platform, updated on August 31, 2026, indicate that potentially eligible users can only be artists established in the United States who control the necessary rights to the content and accept the platform’s terms and conditions. Connection to Square is requiredSince, to sell on this platform, you first need to register and complete identity verification. Thus, the purchase can be made from any location where the request is received; This refers to the same countries listed above. Therefore, if a Spanish fan wants to buy it, it will be possible; However, the artist himself, if he is established in Spain, cannot yet sell on this website.
On August 31, Tidal dropped its 10% commission, which was charged when consumers purchased music directly from an author’s profile using the upload tool. The cost of the square is deducted from the artist’s income. Thus, it should be considered that it is a 0% commission for Tidal and when purchasing, it is done through this system. However, the processing fee is not waived.
Square’s physical product inventory can now be accessible to customers through Tidal profiles and, in the case of music purchases, their emails can be provided to the artist for communication. Uploading, buying and selling songs is now done without any subscription. This 2021 agreement, which was finally completed, led to a real implementation that includes the use of these opportunities in 2026, but sales are currently only possible by artists based in the United States.
Picture | Including Wikipedia and Tidal edits
