Jay Z has said his new music streaming service Tidal is "here for the long haul" after it was described as a failure. In a "stream of consciousness" on Twitter on Sunday, the hip hop star urged music fans to "give us a chance".
"Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month," he tweeted, adding: "The iTunes store wasn't built in a day. It took Spotify 9 years to be successful…"
The premium music streaming service was believed to be struggling after it dropped out of the iPhone top 700 chart less than a month after its launch, but Jay Z pleaded with fans to stick with it.
Jay Z defended his music streaming service Tidal
"We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better," he wrote.
Jay Z united some of the biggest names in music including his wife Beyoncé Knowles, Madonna, Rihanna and Kanye West to launch the service in March. The musicians are all co-owners of the app, which is being billed as the first artist-owned platform for music and video.
However many criticised the platform for its focus on the major musicians who co-own the brand, leading the 45-year-old to explain: "Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers – not just the founding members on stage."
The rapper co-owns the platform with stars including Beyonce and Madonna
He rounded off his argument by writing: "We aren't perfect – but we are determined."
Tidal was launched in October but was bought by Jay Z for $56million (£38million) in March. The rapper previously explained his decision to invest in the platform to Billboard, saying: "We didn't like the direction music was going and thought maybe we could get in and strike an honest blow.
"Will artists make more money? Even if it means less profit for our bottom line, absolutely. That's easy for us. We can do that. Less profit for our bottom line, more money for the artist; fantastic."