Neil Young calls out Tidal

Let’s cut to the chase here. This is not about sound. It’s about getting paid. Let’s just be honest here. At the end of the day, that’s what the artist is truly after. I can’t blame Neil because that’s how he makes a living. I just don’t settle for BS. To tell you the truth, most artists could care less about HiFi or Hi End Audio (Equipment). If they are a guitarist, that’s their focal. If they are a drummer, they typically only care about their drums. This is the truth. Spend time with these artists, and you will see. I have very close friends that went to The Juilliard School. They will tell you straight up. Folks, don’t believe the BS unless you were born yesterday. It’s really sad folks try to push this nonsense. Like I said, it’s a business and I do understand his position about money and how he makes it and gets paid. Don’t try to sell smoke and mirrors because they truly don’t care how you listen to music, they only care about how you are gonna pay for it. If you want to strive for what they call their best sound, go see them in person (at a concert). 

I just wish any streaming service with really good audio had a jazz channel as good as XM/Sirius.  I will sacrifice quality of sound for quality of programming.  Life could be worse.

Some artists really do care and that’s one of the reasons there is so much information on their recordings for hifi to recover for us.  But more importantly it doesn’t matter whether they care or not so long as the detail is there to recover.  The recording engineers care.  Qobuz cares, as do other hi-res order prividers.  We care.  So listen to their best sound over and over again at home.  On great hifi- that’s what it is for.  . 

I believe you’re still missing the point. As you say, none of that matters when you cut to the chase. It’s a business at the end of the day. How an artist gets paid. That’s his prerogative on how he negotiates his contract to get paid. His finances should be the last thing I need to worry about. That’s what his attorneys are for. What’s  funny is that I remember similar conversations about the argument on the rights to SACD and before that CD’s. Oh, and don’t forget about the IPod classic. I remember when Wadia came out with a docking station and all of a sudden we were all in. It’s amazing how we forget about our past. Another point is you can have what one may call the best Board/ recording engineers in the world but 2 individuals will here the same song at the same time differently. It’s how we absorb and process information different from one another. It’s human motor learning behavior. Who are we to force our notion of what’s right or the best with music, engineers, artists, etc. The more I think about it, the more we are approaching the art world on how we think and discriminate an artist, their music, the composer, etc. Enjoy you music however you like because I definitely do. Being a former DJ who can appreciate all types of music allows me to be a sponge and absorb information. For the newbies who are getting into HiFi Audio, it’s great to ask questions or get specific opinions but at the end of the day, it’s your money. Spend it how you want. Don’t get caught up in the theatricals. 
PS
I listen to TIDAL, Qobuz With MQA and Hi Res, Albums with a Turntable, CD’s (Redbook & SACD), Reel to Reel and Tuner (FM Radio, HD). I’m very flexible and enjoy switching from one source to another. I have a pretty extensive system and I’m very fortunate.

Sorry to be this "real", but Neil is far from a recording perfectionist so I doubt there is any discernible difference between his "masters" and Tidal's offerings.  It sound's like Neil's getting to be a bit of a curmudgeon in his old age.

Ray