Tidal launch: The most pretentious lines from Alicia Keys' valedictory speech

Keys announced the streaming service to the world, calling the launch a 'powerful moment that will forever change the course of music history'

Alicia Keys introduces Jay Z's streaming service Tidal to the world (Getty Images)

Jay Z launched his artist-owned streaming service Tidal in New York last night with all the rhetoric of a campaign promoting social justice.

‘Tidal for All’ promises to give users CD-quality streaming for $19.99 a month, which will directly benefit the artists featured on the service.

- “This is so powerful and I think everyone in this room is experiencing the same sort of energy.”

- “It’s come up a couple of times that it feels like a graduation, but in actuality it is a graduation and that’s a really powerful thing that we’re all celebrating.”

- “We’re gathered…with one voice in unity in the hopes that today will be another one of those moments in time, a moment that will forever change the course of music history.”

- “Our mission goes beyond commerce, it goes beyond technology. Our intent is to preserve music’s importance in our lives.”

- “Music is the language of love, of laughter, of heart break, of mystery. It’s the world’s true universal language. There’s not a soul living who can deny its universal impact.”

- “[Tidal is] a place for connection between artists and fan where we will deliver exclusive experiences that will be found nowhere else, a destination where we will discover the music that will become the soundtrack for the rest of our lives.”

- “We believe Frederick Nietzsche couldn’t have been more right when he said ‘without music, life would be a mistake’.” Here Keys pronounces Nietzche ‘Niet-zschee’.

Tidal has already drawn criticism for appearing to be a thinly veiled campaign to save the music industry that is instead a means for wealthy artists to make even more money.

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Jay Z may be hoping to create a tidal change in the music industry, but it looks like he will have to counter audience perceptions before he can begin to reap financial rewards for his friends.

Read more: Tidal criticised for making wealthy artists even richer
Tidal streaming service launched by Jay Z