Online retailers like iTunes allow buyers to download music and pay for it a la carte, while all-you-can-listen streaming services charge subscription fees. The album was also expected to be a Tidal streaming exclusive but released on the other streaming services six weeks after its Tidal launch.
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Tidal held exclusive rights for both Rihanna’s ‘Anti” and Yeezy’s “The Life of Pablo’, both of which are now available on other streaming services – another reason this rumour might just be fact.
The Beyhive (as her devout fans are known) have been waiting not so patiently since February 6, when her single “Formation” debuted on Tidal and its controversial video dropped on YouTube. The album hit TIDAL around 10pm EST on Saturday after the visual album aired on HBO over the weekend.
Fans shouldn’t expect to find Lemonade on Apple Music or Spotify any time soon. Given the frenzy over the release of new Beyonce music, the singer risked angering fans who were not Tidal subscribers.
Beyonce got a little help making “Lemonade” from some fellow celebs. Adele didn’t stream her hit album “25” on any service, and Taylor Swift removed music from Spotify in 2014.
But if you’re left wondering, “What do I do if I don’t own a television?” – worry not!
But industry observers like Min knew the period of exclusivity probably wouldn’t last long.
Beyonce dropping an album wasn’t exactly a surprise considering everything going on.
“We built sandcastles that washed away / I made you cry when I walked away / And although I promised that I couldn’t stay, baby / Every promise don’t work out that way”, Beyonce sings in “Sandcastles”.
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Citing a source from Sony Music, Hits Daily Double says the album should hit 200K by the end of Monday, which marked its first day of availability for digital purchase. The entire Lemonade album is available for $17.99 on iTunes.
