From Jay Z’s point of view, it made sense to take his music off other streaming services if he were going to running his own, Tidal. Obviously, this would force loyal fans to purchase a Tidal subscription. Thankfully, Jay Z seems to have changed his plan, and put his beloved Blueprint Trilogy back onto Apple Music. That means long-time fans and new listeners alike can hear gems ranging from Izzo (H.O.V.A.) to Run This Town.
If I had to bet, I’d say that the reason for this amendment is likely due to Jay Z being involved in two current lawsuits, and he’s low on cash (relatively). The first lawsuit is with a former Roc Nation Sports boxer, who claims that the company forced him into fighting before he was done recovering from a flu, and he suffered severe brain damages. The other lawsuit involves an 81 year old singer suing Jay Z and Timbaland for sampling his song without permission.
Of course part of me wishes Jay Z wins these lawsuits. I’m a big fan of his music and all he’s done for the hip hop community. However, as a Spotify user, I’m thinking that the only way to get Jay Z’s music back on Spotify is for Jay Z to keep getting sued. I don’t know what I’d sue him for, but I could maybe make up something.