Jay Z is on to his next major power move!

In an effort to raise the value of music and artistry, the hip hop mogul has officially launched his brand new music streaming service, TIDAL. According to the official website, TIDAL will deliver the best high fidelity sound and music video quality, connecting the artists to their fans through this paid music streaming service, which will cost you a monthly fee of anywhere from $9.99 to $19.99 (US & Canada).

The TIDAL press conference was held in New York and featured appearances from Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Beyonce', Madonna, J. Cole, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Usher, and more. Each artist is reportedly considered a founding member of Jay Z's latest venture, and has an equity stake in the streaming company.

According to singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, "Our goal is simple. We want to create a better service and a better experience for both fans and artists. And that is our promise to the world. Our mission goes beyond commerce. It goes beyond technology. Our intent is to preserve music's importance in our lives."

However, in an interview with Billboard, Jay Z bluntly expressed his frustration with how easy it has become to gain access to music from streaming services charging subscribers little or nothing, and what Billboard describes as microscopic payouts and the labels' helpless shrugs.

"We didn’t like the direction music was going and thought maybe we could get in and strike an honest blow and if, you know, the very least we did was make people wake up and try to improve the free vs. paid system, and promote fair trade, then it would be a win for us anyway," says the Roc Nation founder.

"People are not respecting the music, and [are] devaluing it and devaluing what it really means. People really feel like music is free, but will pay $6 for water. You can drink water free out of the tap, and it’s good water. But they’re OK paying for it. It’s just the mind-set right now."

http://tidal.com/us