Jay Z Just Took The Majority Of His Music Off Of Spotify
A not-so-shocking development, but a significant one all the same: It appears that Jay Z has removed the bulk of his music from one streaming service, and it's definitely not the one he founded.
Spotify no longer hosts most of Jay's output, though his collaborations and a couple greatest hits compilations are still up for streaming on the platform. Gone are The Blueprint, Magna Carta Holy Grail, and a vast number of other titles; what remains, as Entertainment Weekly notes, are a grand total of three albums, including his joint releases with R. Kelly, 2002's The Best of Both Worlds and 2004's Unfinished Business.
As Jay has been the face of Tidal since he founded the artist-championed (though considerably less patronized by the average listener) service in March 2015, it makes sense for him to play favorites when it comes to finding a home for his own albums, which is why the shift isn't entirely surprising.
That said, this is the second blow for Spotify this week, as a technical glitch affected the accessibility of Harry Styles's debut solo single, “Sign of the Times,” and prevented listeners from being able to play the song for hours on its first day of release.
As for Jay, his new collaborations are in everyone's ears, he's enjoying gorgeous vacations with his gorgeous wife, his twin babies are about to be born, and he's turned his attention to documentaries for the time being — so all appears to be well in the Carter camp, Spotify departure aside.