- Tidal has introduced a new Share with anyone feature to share song links that can be played on other music streaming services.
- The feature lets you choose a streaming service you want to play the song on if you don't have Tidal.
- The shared link lets you play the track via Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.
Music streaming services are always in a tussle to attract more users and make them join their platform because their friends use it too. This creates an artificial wall of sorts. But Tidal is all set to break this wall with its new Share with anyone feature.
Usually, when you share a song from, let’s say Spotify, it will open the song within the Spotify app. If the receiver does not have the app, it will ask them to install it and create an account. With Tidal’s new Share with anyone feature, you can share a song from Tidal and others can use their preferred streaming service to play it. This way, the shared link will be a universal link to access songs from anywhere.
Thanks to Redditor u/vszdk who discovered this feature in Tidal’s changelogs. The attached screenshot explains the feature in detail. If you’re sharing a song with someone and they already use Tidal then the song will directly play inside Tidal.
If they don’t use Tidal, a webpage will open to let your friend choose their preferred music streaming service to play the song. This will make songs accessible across multiple platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.
The feature is available for everyone with the latest update so you can try it out yourself. This is honestly a good move on Tidal’s end to prioritize user experience over exclusivity. It makes things much more convenient and seamless. You don’t have to sign up for every other app you don’t use simply to play one track.
Everyone has their preferences, some feel that Spotify has better social features, while others opt for YouTube Music for better song suggestions. So it’s unlikely that they will switch from their respective platforms. However, this should not prevent anything as simple as sharing a song. This is such a basic feature and not that difficult to adopt.
Yes, being on the same platform as your other friends has its perks, for instance, on Spotify you can start a Jam with your friends. But requiring people to download your app to listen to a track that is available elsewhere makes very little sense. This is why, I feel, other streaming providers should adopt universal links like Tidal.
