Jay Z Got on a Twitter Soapbox to Defend His Music-Streaming Service Tidal

Shawn Carter, a.k.a. Jay Z, doesn't tweet very often, even though he has 3.16 million people there following his every word. Although he's been on the social network since November 2008, he doesn't follow anyone (not even his wife Beyoncé) and has only posted 231 times.

But with all the flak that his recently launched artist-owned music-streaming service Tidal is getting, the rap mogul finally felt the need to get on Twitter and counter all the haters.

Stream of consciousness coming in 5, 4, 3, 2... #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

First he had to reassure the fans and reiterate that Tidal is just getting started.

Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day. It took Spotify 9 years to be successful...

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Then he had a few words for competitors like Spotify and Apple, of course.

There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign. We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan.#TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

....Tidal is where artists can give their fans more without the middlemen. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Rich getting richer? Equity values... YouTube $390 billion. Apple $760 billion. Spotify $8 billion. Tidal $60 million. #TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

But in the end, it's all about the people.

Our actions will speak louder than words. We made Tidal to bring people the best experiences...

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

and to help artists give that to their fans over and over again...

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

And he concluded with a strong but heartfelt message (and a little joke about two of his Tidal co-founders).

We are human (even Daft Punk ha). We aren't perfect - but we are determined.#TidalFacts

— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015

Read his entire “Stream of consciousness”on his Twitter page.

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