Update: Fans and new Tidal users can now stream Jay-Z's latest album without signing up for Sprint, Entertainment Weekly reports.
In a message posted to his Facebook page, Jay-Z invited all his fans to stream the new album, unrestricted for Tidal users.
This story was originally published on July 2, 2017.
Jay-Z fans have mixed feelings about the rapper's new album 4:44. Their biggest problem? They can't listen to it. When it was announced that the album would be released exclusively on Tidal, a music streaming app co-owned by Jay-Z himself, committed fans were all too ready to sign up.
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After much anticipation, Jay-Z fans were met with disappointment on Friday when they discovered that not only was the album only available to Tidal subscribers, but that it was only available to certain Tidal subscribers.
Disappointed almost-listeners, many of whom signed up just to listen to 4:44, expressed their frustration on Twitter. Even Mark Ronson, producer for Bruno Mars and Amy Winehouse, tweeted, "I signed up for Tidal solely to listen to a Jay-Z album, which turns out is the only thing I can't listen to on Tidal," after he found out he couldn't stream the in-demand tracks. Among the tweets was none other than Chrissy Teigen who made a joking jab at the confusing situation.
I sure picked the wrong day to release my first album
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 30, 2017
She bantered with people who were quick to join in on the joke.
It's exclusive to Cingular wireless https://t.co/2GsnS4zzGw
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 30, 2017
It's free til 8pm if u have a Treo
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 30, 2017
Fans with an existing Tidal subscription, or had signed up to a new trial subscription through Sprint, where able to stream 4:44 the moment it was released on the app Thursday night. Those who signed up after the album dropped found that they were unable to stream it, instead seeing a message saying, "JAY-Z 4:44 is only accessible to Sprint/TIDAL customers and all TIDAL accounts established prior to June 26th during the exclusive period."
To add to the confusion, Tidal's online advertising was less than transparent about the streaming restrictions simply redirecting users to Sprint's website enticing them to sign up to get access to the album.
If you are now wondering if you'll ever be able to listen to Jay-Z's new album, you are in luck. According to Variety, you, Mark Ronson, and Chrissy Teigen will be able to stream the album in a week when it is made available on Apple Music.
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