…To Also Pockets $75m as Artiste Marketing Fund
Early this morning, slowly dying wireless
carrier Sprint announced that it has bought a 33 percent stake in Tidal, Jay
Z’s nearly-dead streaming music service. The deal should bring free or
discounted access to Tidal’s service to all of Sprint’s customers, in return
for a much-needed cash injection for Tidal, and a seat on Tidal’s board for
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure.
On the surface, it’s a deal that
makes total sense. Cell companies are beginning to realize that there’s money
to be made partnering with content producers, which is why AT&T is spending
billions buying up Time Warner.
As part of the deal, Sprint’s 45
million customers will be getting access to Tidal’s music service and
“exclusive original content,” although the details of that arrangement are yet
to be shared. Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure will take a position on Tidal’s board.
According to Billboard, the 33 percent stake in Tidal cost Sprint around $200
million, valuing Tidal overall at around $600 million.
That’s a huge return for Tidal and
Jay-Z, whose holding company S. Carter Enterprises LLC bought Tidal’s parent
company, Aspiro AB, for $56 million in January 2015. If Billboard‘s sources are
right, that would mean Tidal has increased in value by about 970% in the space
of two years.
As part of the deal, Sprint is
also committed to a $75 million annual artist marketing fund.
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