Photo of Mark Ronson by Frederick M. Brown
Mark Ronson was not pleased on Friday when he subscribed to Tidal, only to find out Jay-Z's newly released album 4:44 is being withheld.
In addition to being reserved only for Tidal and Sprint subscribers, the album is limited to those who subscribed to the streaming service prior to June 26 (four days ahead of the album's arrival), thus locking out consumers who joined the platform in recent days or following 4:44's release, likely motivated by new Jay-Z music.
"Why the f**k else would I be signing up for this bull ish," Ronson tweeted today, expressing his frustration. "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."
As Ronson and others have noted, it appears the only way for those who missed the June 26 cutoff to access 4:44 is to switch to Sprint, thus completely changing phone providers to hear an album.
While it's clear the restriction is likely the result of a business decision between Tidal and Sprint (which co-owns the service), it would also seem to restrain the word of mouth for the new LP.
For his part, Ronson made clear he is not simply a casual Jay-Z fan. "I've. Bought. Every. Jay Z Album. The. Day. Of. Release," he tweeted, before confirming he was later able to somehow hear the record, putting his "Tidal gripe aside" to declare 4:44 is "pretty f**king incredible so far."
As of this writing, 4:44 is only available on Tidal, but it will reportedly expand to other streaming services a week from now.
Reps for Tidal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why the f**k else would I be signing up for this bull ish? pic.twitter.com/QG37zaBqaT
— Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson) June 30, 2017
: @tidal. Shortest subscription ever pic.twitter.com/wOFfe0uaSH
— Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson) June 30, 2017
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 pic.twitter.com/xp0Y0FP9EX
— Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson) June 30, 2017
I've. Bought. Every. Jay Z Album. The. Day. Of. Release. Usually. On. Vinyl. At. Rock N Soul Records
— Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson) June 30, 2017