Jay Z's Tidal could be about to lose Beyonce's music in ultimate humiliation

Its future with Sony looks uncertain

(Tidal)

Ever since its misjudged and overblown launch, things have gone from bad to worse for Tidal.

After rapidly dropping out of app store charts, the high-quality streaming service is now being asked for huge advances by Sony and Warner in exchange for their artists' music, according to an in-depth report into the company by Bloomberg.

An agreement is apparently close to being secured with Warner, but a Sony deal still hangs in the balance. If one isn't struck, Jay Z's service would lose the music of, among others, his wife Beyonce.

Tidal claims to have 900,000 users, though analysts who spoke with Bloomberg "suspect many have signed up for trials and will cancel when they have to start paying."

Jay Z has accused criticism of it as amounting to a "smear campaign".

"There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign. We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan. #TidalFacts." he tweeted last month.

@christophhooton