Last November, we reported on Tidal’s pivot towards SoundCloud-style direct uploads from artists.
Those tracks would not generate royalties, but a weekly ‘Spotlight’ program saw Tidal’s editors choose ‘Upload’ tracks for playlist and homepage placement, as well as one-off payments via sister-platform Cash App.
At launch, the program was only available in the US, but now ‘Spotlight’ is expanding to other countries. It will now include artists who live in Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
Tidal noted in its announcement that uploaded tracks will be considered for ‘Spotlight’ until the end of June 2026, adding that “selected tracks are eligible to receive a one-time award of US$1,000”.
There is no news, for now, on Tidal’s own future within parent company Block – which said in November 2024 that it was “scaling back our investment” in its music-streaming subsidiary.
Perhaps an update will come in Block’s Q4 financials announcement, which is set for 26 February. The launch of ‘Tidal Upload’ and its accompanying promotional programs at least show Tidal is still keen to evolve and innovate in its business.
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