Jay Z’s streaming platform, Tidal, is the place for music lovers to go deeper behind their favorite tunes. With groundbreaking immersive audio from Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, an expanding library of ultra high fidelity Master Quality Authenticated tracks, plus exclusive video content—documentaries, video albums, artist commentary, music videos and more—Tidal has perhaps the most diverse content offering of any music streaming service.
Compared to Apple Music or Spotify, Tidal’s hands-on approach to playlist curation gives it a human touch that stands apart from its algorithmic brethren. Sure, Tidal can generate radio stations based on your listening habits, but with an editorial team of real people offering staff picks, artist interviews and music news, there’s something new to discover every time you open the app.
Whether you’re curious about the future of immersive spatial audio technology, want a truly hi-fi audiophile streaming solution or are just tired of your old Spotify playlist rotation, Tidal is worth a try. Keep reading to learn a few of our favorite tricks to maximize your Tidal subscription.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Tidal Subscription
To get the most from your Tidal subscription, you’ll first need to tweak a few things in the Settings menu. Here you can adjust streaming quality, connect to Sony 360 Reality Audio devices, manage downloaded content and more.
To view Settings on the desktop app, click the ellipses (…) icon to the right of your profile picture in the top-left corner of the screen.
Mobile listeners can access the Settings menu by tapping the heart icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, which opens the My Collection tab. Then, tap the gear icon at the top-right corner of the My Collection tab.
Now, let’s get started maximizing your Tidal subscription.
Explore Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio
With Tidal’s growing selection of Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks, HiFi Plus members can hear the future of immersive hi-fi audio—today.
In 2019, Tidal introduced Dolby Atmos streaming, adding a library of select tracks presented in immersive three-dimensional audio. Dolby Atmos empowers artists and producers with the ability to place instruments at a specific point in space, rather than simply turning a pan knob left or right (or front to back). In Dolby Atmos, your favorite artists surround you with breathtaking detail—front to back, side to side and top to bottom. It’s like virtual reality for your headphones.
360 Reality Audio uses Sony’s proprietary object based spatial audio technology to create a 360° sound field where sounds are placed in three dimensions with pinpoint accuracy. On external speakers, 360 Reality Audio brings classic recordings to life with an immersive 3D soundstage and improved separation between sources. In headphones, the music moves inside your head. If you wish the voice in your head was Bill Withers, now’s your chance.
Tidal automatically detects your system’s compatibility with Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio. Try searching “Dolby Atmos” and “360 Reality Audio” to find new releases and curated playlists in each format.
Listen to Master Quality Audio
Master Quality Audio unlocks authenticated, studio-quality 24bit/96kHz files authored by professional mastering engineers exclusively for hi-fi streaming. There are still a few gaps in the MQA library, but with new releases and reissues every week, there’s no shortage of classic and modern music to discover.
MQA-enabled tracks and albums display a golden “Master” icon beneath the title, making them easy to spot in both the desktop and mobile versions of the app.
Master Quality Audio is arguably the centerpiece of the Tidal HiFi Plus experience, and the improvement in audio quality between HiFi and Master is substantial. With MQA activated, you’ll hear a clearer mix overall, with improved stereo imaging and a less cluttered soundstage. Add in a set of quality earphones and you’ll hear elements of your favorite songs you’ve never heard before.
Watch Tidal Exclusive Videos
In terms of engaging original content, Tidal beats both Apple Music and Spotify with its growing selection of exclusive videos—including new videos, interviews, documentaries and live performances—plus a library of hundreds of classic music videos. Whether you grew up watching OG MTV, Total Request Live, 120 Minutes, Headbangers’ Ball, VH1, BET, CMT or Fuse, you’ll have a blast revisiting your favorite vintage music videos on Tidal.
To browse Tidal Originals, music videos and video playlists, click the Videos icon at the top-left of the desktop app. On mobile, tap the play button icon at the bottom of the screen.
If you’re curious how Tidal compares to Spotify and Apple Music in other areas, like library size and collaborative playlisting, get the full breakdown on our blog.
Import Playlists from Spotify and Apple Music
In a vast improvement over the iPod years, migrating music and playlists between Tidal and other apps is easy. Soundiiz syncs your playlist and collection across 45 apps so you can connect Tidal to Bandcamp, Discogs, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Soundcloud and Last.fm, to name a few. Once activated, you can automatically transfer playlists, albums, artists and tracks between platforms.
Adjust Tidal’s Audio Quality for Your Connection
At 24bit/96kHz quality, Tidal’s MQA library offers a premium audiophile streaming experience—if your wi-fi or cellular connection has the bandwidth. If you encounter audio dropouts—on the subway or over coffee shop wi-fi, for example—temporarily reducing Tidal’s audio quality can keep the jams alive and kicking.
To adjust Tidal’s streaming audio quality, navigate to the Settings menu and tap or click “Streaming.” Here you can choose between Normal, High, HiFi, or, if you’re a HiFi Plus subscriber—Master.
For listeners on the move, High quality audio balances data usage with audio quality—perfect for streaming with limited cellular data. If you have unlimited data or reliable wi-fi, HiFi delivers lossless CD-quality 16bit/44.1kHz audio you can count on. And with Master selected, you’ll hear authenticated studio-quality audio that’s specially prepared for streaming by professional mastering engineers.
Download Music to an SD Card
If your device has expandable storage, your music library is as vast as your SD card’s available memory. Tidal downloads can be saved to your phone’s SD card, freeing up (or expanding upon) your internal storage. If you plan to save 360 Reality Audio or Dolby Atmos albums for later, it’s a good idea to stash them on an SD card, because the file sizes can be large.
To download tracks, albums or playlists to an SD card, go to Settings > Music Playback > Download Destination and select the applicable SD card option.
Enjoy a 30-day Free Trial
Perhaps Tidal’s best feature is the 30-day free trial. If you’re skeptical about MQA’s potential to change your life, Jay Z and co. give you a month on the house so you can decide.
If you’re at all curious about Tidal’s original content—including staff picks, curated playlists and radio stations, video albums (with artist commentary), documentaries and performances—the 30-day trial is a deal at the low, low price of free–fifty for thirty days.
Bundle that with immersive spatial audio from Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio—both available without any extra hardware besides your smartphone and headphones—and it’s an absolute steal.
Not impressed? No problem. You won’t be charged as long as you cancel the trial before it ends. Set a reminder.
