Tidal still has some advantages. Users can pay for a HiFi plan that unlocks streaming options – HiFi and Masters (2304-9216 Kbps) – with higher quality than that offered by Apple and Spotify. (Amazon has an equivalent service called Amazon Music HD, however.) It is unclear whether the occasional high-quality, exclusive streaming is sufficient. The number of subscribers to Tidal is a mystery, leading many to believe that he is behind Spotify and Apple Music. In 2018, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reported that the company was falsifying the numbers for several of its biggest albums. This led to an investigation that was approved by the Norwegian Supreme Court Appeals Committee last June.
Meanwhile, Square is doing tremendously well. The company initially gained momentum with its square-shaped card readers, which small merchants could connect to their phones or tablets via a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Since then, the company has expanded into a range of lucrative business services and launched a consumer-oriented smartphone app, Cash App, for money transfer, stock purchases and other banking tasks. The app proved to be popular with young adults, and the Cash App came close to that image by sponsoring esports organization 100 Thieves. A streaming music service, therefore, may not be the weirdest acquisition if Square wants to continue to cultivate this younger user base.