Last night should have been a rare win for Tidal. They had the rights to stream Lil Wayne's Lil Weezyana Fest, which included a Hot Boys reunion and other high profile special guests.
One of those guests was Drake, and that's when things got awkward for Jay Z's company.
Since Drake is signed with Apple, the computer behemoth wouldn't let their streaming music rival play him. Instead, the audience got this message:
The rumor is that Apple threatened to hit Tidal with a $20 million lawsuit if they streamed when Drizzy was on stage. Just contesting such a lawsuit would be a financial strain on Tidal, given their current state, so they relented.
They did have something to say on Twitter:
1/2 Apple is interfering with artistry and will not allow this artist to stream. Sorry for Big Brother’s inconvenience.
— TIDAL (@TIDALHiFi) August 29, 2015
2/2 We'll be back after the performance. — TIDAL (@TIDALHiFi) August 29, 2015
What do you think? Is Apple "interfering with artistry" here, or is it just business as usual?