INTERNATIONAL - He’s not a businessman, he’s a business, man -- and it looks like Spotify is good for business.
Jay-Z, who pulled most of his albums from Spotify Technology SA in 2017 in favor of his rival Tidal platform, celebrated his 50th birthday Wednesday by returning his music to the world’s largest audio streaming service.
The Swedish company welcomed him back in a tweet at midnight New York time.
Happy birthday, Hov 🎁
— Spotify (@Spotify) December 4, 2019
Welcome back to Spotify.https://t.co/exr5QGgwCK pic.twitter.com/t7l4H5zn6E
FILE - In this July 14, 2019 file photo, singers Jay-Z, left, and Beyonce pose for photographers upon arrival at the "Lion King" European premiere in central London. Jay-Z, who pulled most of his albums from Spotify Technology SA in 2017 in favor of his rival Tidal platform, celebrated his 50th birthday Wednesday by returning his music to the world’s largest audio streaming service. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
The move continues a trend toward wider streaming distribution for the hip-hop legend’s oeuvre. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, returned some albums to Apple Inc.’s music service earlier this year.
It also raises questions about the health of Tidal, which Jay-Z bought for $56 million in 2014. The closely held service hasn’t reported subscriber figures since touting 3 million paying customers in 2016.
Spotify reported 113 million subscribers in its most recent quarterly results, in October. Tidal didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Jay-Z accepts the President’s Award onstage at the 50th NAACP Image Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 30, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
Jay-Z, who pulled most of his albums from Spotify Technology SA in 2017 in favor of his rival Tidal platform, celebrated his 50th birthday Wednesday by returning his music to the world’s largest audio streaming service. Picture: AP