Norwegian songwriters, composers and music publishers on Monday said they had lodged a complaint against Jay Z’s music platform Tidal after a media report said its streaming statistics had been manipulated. Rap mogul Jay Z bought Tidal, which has its roots and significant activities in Oslo, through his holding Project Panther for $56 million in March 2015. His wife Beyonce and his former protege West both launched their albums exclusively on the streaming platform in 2016. In an email to AFP, the online music service rejected the allegations, calling them a “smear campaign” fed by “lies”. But the Norwegian organisation Tono, which represents around 30,000 rights holders, said the streaming manipulation claims were “strong” and “apparently credible” as they filed a complaint with the Norwegian police.

Source: Punch May 14, 2018 10:18 UTC