Beyoncé, Jay Z and Prince will headline a TIDAL benefit concert on October 20. It celebrates the artist-owned streaming service going "platinum"—reaching 1 million subscribers, in Jay Z's words. Featured performers also include Usher, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Nicki Minaj, plus artists selected for TIDAL's Rising Acts program, such as Hit-Boy, Jidenna and Justine Skye.  

Jay Z's introduction of TIDAL, with its UN-style press conference and "signing" of a declaration, fell flat because it stressed how the streaming service benefits artists, though with the biggest names in music present like Madonna, Kanye West and Deadmau5—like anyone could believe that they were suffering from the lack of record sales. That, along with its Spotify-like design, had music execs guessing that TIDAL has a year or less to go.

But Jay Z has also taken full advantage of his famous friends, to where they have become TIDAL's main draw. From live concert streams (e.g. Lil Wayne's anniversary show) to the first looks at music videos (Nicki's "Feeling Myself" featuring Beyoncé), not to mention Prince's entire catalog, TIDAL does well in making non-subscribers feel left out.

Speaking of which: Tickets for the TIDAL benefit concert at Brooklyn's Barclays Center are available today at noon EST for subscribers. Non-subscribers will have to wait until Friday, same time.