TIDAL Absorbs WiMP As Jay Z Takes Ownership Of Music Streamer, U.S. Relaunch March 30th

Apparently, Jay-Z and I have something in common besides the love of an occasional cigar. Neither of us liked the strange name WiMP for a music service. So, as of today, the

WiMP brand is being retired

before the ink is even dry on Jay's $56 million contract to buy it.

TIDAL is now the sole name of the music service that was once divided between streaming services WiMP and hi-def streamer TIDAL. The unified music service will offer high-fidelity streaming music when available alongside exclusive content editorial, experiences and merchandise.

A Push For Exclusive Content

Today's announcement bills TIDAL as "a single destination for artists and fans to share ideas, exclusive content, songs, videos, studio sessions, rough tracks, personal conversations and more." That description would match with reports that Jay-Z has been in talks with Madonna and other top level artists about partnering with the music service. His pitch apparently promises more control over how the content is presented than is offered by streaming competitors.

Full U.S. Launch Next Week

While TIDAL has been available as a hi-def music service for several months, a full launch of the broader service is scheduled for Monday March 30th, according to a countdown clock on TIDAL U.S. home page.

Current TIDAL Stats

• 25 million music tracks