Apple might buy Jay Z's streaming service to stick it to Spotify

<p>Apple&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-in-talks-to-acquire-jay-zs-tidal-music-service-1467325314" target="_blank">might be in talks</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/6/30/12074064/apple-jay-z-tidal-deal-music" target="_blank">to buy</a>&nbsp;Jay Z&#39;s music streaming service, Tidal.</p><p>Apple Music has 15 million subscribers compared to Tidal&#39;s significantly smaller 4.2 million. Even though Tidal has a smaller subscription base, it has some substantial star power.</p><p><a href="https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/203055651-Who-Owns-TIDAL-" target="_blank">The most obvious</a>&nbsp;artist buy-in is from businessman and rapper Jay Z, but more than a dozen artists collectively own the service, including Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Alicia Keys and Beyonc.</p><p>An Apple acquisition would prevent Tidal exclusives that might sway listeners away from Apple Music and could help Apple compete with Spotify.</p><p>A music industry analyst told&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/06/30/report-apple-talks-acquire-tidal/86574880/" target="_blank">USA Today</a>&nbsp;the intense rivalry between Apple and Spotify is one factor that could make Apple a highly motivated buyer which could mean a pretty sweet deal for Jay Z.</p><p>Even though a Tidal spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal the talks never happened, the outlet reports people familiar with the companies said the discussion is ongoing but won&#39;t necessarily result in a deal.</p><p><i>This video includes images from Getty Images and clips from&nbsp;</i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1zs0uHHoSw" target="_blank"><i>Apple</i></a><i>,&nbsp;</i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-57i6EeKLM" target="_blank"><i>Tidal</i></a><i>&nbsp;and&nbsp;</i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM3uj9zFy6M" target="_blank"><i>Spotify</i></a><i>.&nbsp;</i></p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/a-tesla-driver-was-killed-in-a-crash-while-using-autopilot/">A Tesla Driver Was Killed In A Crash While Using Autopilot</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/spotify-is-accusing-apple-of-using-its-app-store-as-a-weapon/">Spotify Is Accusing Apple Of Using Its App Store As A Weapon</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/elon-musk-is-giving-away-golden-tickets-to-tesla-s-battery-factory/">Elon Musk Is Giving Away &#039;Golden Tickets&#039; To Tesla&#039;s Battery Factory</a></li></ul>