Last year, streaming service Tidal pulled off a major coup when it managed to secure rights to Prince's catalog, a move that saw all the late artist's music pulled from other platforms like Spotify. But when the "Purple Rain" singer died unexpectedly in mid-April, he failed to create a will, leaving his massive catalog of music, including a veritable vault of unreleased music valued at $35 million, up for grabs.
This week, Prince's estate rocked the music industry when it sold the artist's songwriting rights to Universal Music Publishing Group, opening up the possibility that his catalog may soon be available to stream on the same platforms from which it was removed in 2015. Obviously, this puts Tidal in a tight spot and according to the New York Post, the company is prepared to take legal action to regain control of the catalog.
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In an article published late last night, the Post asserts that Tidal has contacted probate court Judge Kevin Eide, stating in a legal letter that "it will seek injunctive relief if any deals by Prince’s estate violate its agreement with him, which Tidal asserts included a “Hit n Run” remix album, another new album and rights to his catalog." Sources told the newspaper that the deal with Tidal was only meant to last one year, but neither the estate nor Tidal has stepped up to support or refute that claim.
The FADER has reached out to Tidal for comment and will update this story if a statement is issued.
