Sony CEO Denies Plans To Pull Beyonce’s Catalogue From TIDAL

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In the past, Sony CEO Doug Morris hasn’t exactly been a friend of technology in the music industry. He once infamously referred to mp3 players as “repositories for stolen music” and helped launch legal action against Yahoo and MySpace for copyright infringement. But in the midst of rumors Morris may pull the entire Beyoncé catalogue from TIDAL as the company faces a renewal of its licensing agreements with Sony, Morris was effusive in his praise of TIDAL principal owner Jay Z.

“All of our content, including Beyoncé, is available through the Tidal service, and we have announced no plans to remove our catalog from Tidal,” Morris said, in an exclusive statement to Billboard. “Like all of our other partners, we are rooting for Jay and Tidal to succeed.”

Morris also called Jay Z “a friend and business associate” and praised his business acumen, entrepreneurship, and passion for music. In light of recent criticism for TIDAL’s hiring practices, cutbacks, and overall business model, Morris’ praise comes at a crucial time when Jay Z’s high-quality streaming services is taking multiple P.R. hits. You can read Morris’ full statement at Billboard.com.