Tidal launches free streaming and splits HiFi into two plans

TIDAL is the first global music streaming service with high fidelity sound, hi-def video quality.

To remain competitive — and continue connecting artists and fans - TIDAL is introducing a free tier. Fans can now try TIDAL at no cost, with access to our entire music catalog and playlists. All with limited interruptions. The new Tidal Free plan launched on Nov 17, 2021, is exclusive to the US, and the company says it offers “access to our entire music catalog and playlists, with limited interruptions.” Streaming quality tops out at 160kbps, however, so it’s not much for Tidal’s paid options on that front.

Tidal Free
(All subscription types include access to 80M songs.)

Starting today, everyone can access HiFi sound quality at our $10 tier — which we’re calling HiFi to make it easy. Today’s loyal TIDAL listeners at this tier will have their audio quality upgraded and will see a new activity feed to track their streaming.

TIDAL Premium users will be upgraded to HiFi at no additional cost.

Tidal Free

Fans at TIDAL’s HiFi Plus tier will have access to Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) audio and two new benefits for artists: Fan-Centered Royalties and Direct Artist Payouts. HiFi Plus listeners will also get early access to exclusive content and features.

Both memberships offer 30-day free trials, which may be canceled anytime.

Save data by downloading music

TIDAL allows you to download content to listen to on-the-go, which is great if you want to prevent your service provider from charging you any overage fees.

How much space will TIDAL HiFi and HiFi Plus audio files take up when downloaded to my device? The following things determine the size of a downloaded song: the file’s bit depth, sampling frequency, and compression codec used. Note that higher-quality lossless files are larger. Below are examples of file sizes for a 3½ minute song:

Normal - 2.5MB
High - 8.4MB
HiFi (lossless, 44.1 kHz sample rate) - 20 MB
MQA (lossless, max 352 kHz sample rate) - 26.25 MB

Download TIDAL music to MP3/FLAC

Tidal allows you to download songs, but only for offline playback within the Tidal app. You can't transfer them to other devices or play them with other music player. However, with the right tool, you can download Tidal music to M4A/MP3/AAC/FLAC/WAV/AIFF and then play them anywhere you want.

Follow below steps to download Tidal music to M4A/MP3/AAC/FLAC/WAV/AIFF with Pazu Tidal Music Converter.

Tidal Music Converter

Tidal Music Converter

  • Download Tidal music to MP3, M4A, etc.
  • Preserve 100% original quality.
  • Keep all ID3 tags.
  • Fast download speed.

1. Run Pazu Tidal Converter

Download, install and launch Pazu Tidal Music Converter on your computer then click the Sign In to log in to your Tidal account.

Tidal converter

If you have purchased a license, click the key icon to register the converter. If not, continue using the trial version.

2. Choose output format

The default output format is M4A. Pazu Tidal Music Converter also supports MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF. Select FLAC, WAV or AIFF download high quality music. if you want to Click the Gear icon on the top right corner to change output format or output folder if you need.

You can also customize output song name with any combination of Title, Artist, Album, Track Number, Playlist Index.

download Tidal songs to FLAC

3. Add songs

Browse the built-in Tidal Music web player and select songs, albums or playlists you wish to download. Once you open an album/playlist and tap the red Add button suspended on the right side.

download Tidal songs to FLAC

You’ll be presented with the list of songs. All songs in the playlist/album are selected by default.  Click the box next to the track that you don't want to convert if there are any.

download Tidal songs to FLAC

4. Click Convert button

Click Convert button to start downloading Tidal music to the format you choose.

download Tidal songs to FLAC

After conversion, click the folder icon to quickly locate the downloaded Tidal songs in the format you choose. You can then transfer and play it anywhere.

download Tidal songs to FLAC