The Jay-Z owned streaming service is launching Tidal Unplugged, a program geared toward rising artists. The program has been bestowed with a $1 million fund, courtesy of its donors, venture capitalists and philanthropists, Mark Lampert and Robert Nelsen. The goal of the program is to gather emerging artists and provide them with support and tools to advance their music careers.
The selected, local artists will begin the program in Detroit, where Lampert’s grandfather started his music career and will receive a grant that can cover necessary equipment, time in the studio, as well as living expenses amongst other things. There are plans to expand Unplugged to other locations, but as of right now it’s solely in the Motor City.
“Kicking it off in Detroit, we’re giving artists the means and resources to pursue their passion,” Tidal said about Unplugged. “This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows aspiring musicians to dedicate more time and energy to seeking a career as an artist.”
Unplugged will also allow the artists to maintain complete ownership of their recording masters from the four songs they will record when they make it to the first stage of the program. Additionally, Tidal plans to help the musicians with the distribution and promotion of their music, as well as help the artists prepare for a TIDAL Unplugged showcase concert later this year in November.
Detroit, welcome to TIDAL Unplugged. Up-and-coming artists are getting the opportunity to give their all to their music with our new artist grant program. Submissions open March 1. https://t.co/krL3l8HHGg pic.twitter.com/w30fElrp6N
— TIDAL (@TIDAL) February 21, 2019
Tidal Unplugged is calling for musicians of all genres in the birthplace of Motown Records, however, the announcement states that all submissions must be a cappella or performed acoustically with minimal use of digital components.
Detroit-area artists can apply for the program on Tidal‘s official website or here, starting on March 1, 2019. Finalists will be announced in May 2019.
