When Tidal was first announced earlier this year with a cadre of music icons in tow, it promised to be a platform truly taking care of the artists. With a sort of rocky start, to be generous, the service has now more or less gotten on its feet after plenty of explanations, exclusive content, and apologies. Well, the streaming service may have to offer one more after pulling in these automated bios for some of its most vaunted artists.
For example, in their bio for Paula Abdul, the service says:
“Abdul’s singles were hits not because her singing was exceptional — her voice is thin and transparent — but because she worked with savvy producers who had a knack for picking songs with solid pop and dance hooks.”
And the bio for pop superstar Britney Spears sounds like a jealous boyfriend or pervy uncle:
“Spears’ handlers seemed to be trying to have it both ways — there was a definite tension between the wholesome innocence Spears tried to project for her female audience, and the titillating sexuality that enticed so many male fans…Early on, Spears tried to defuse the controversy by preaching abstinence until marriage, and even denied that she was consciously cultivating such a sexualized image. Of course, the more provocative and revealing her on-stage wardrobe became, the less plausible that claim seemed.”
“Spears was a superstar, drooled over in countless magazines, including a Rolling Stone cover that prompted immediate speculation about the still 17-year-old having received breast implants. “
The Christina Aguilera bio page isn’t terribly favorable, either:
“After a four-year break, Aguilera returned with her fourth album, Bionic, in the spring of 2010. Bionic proved to be Aguilera’s first flop, earning decidedly mixed reviews, generating no hits, and failing to go gold. It was followed by a second stumble in Burlesque, Aguilera’s first starring role on the big screen which was greeted to mediocre reviews and lackluster box office.”
Sites like Reddit and Oh No They Didn’t have pointed out that some of these bios have been automatically pulled from sites like AllMusic and thus also appear on services like iTunes and Pandora. But for a service promoting themselves loudly as “Artists First” like Tidal has, it seems like the least they can do is proofread some of these bios. Pharrell’s isn’t even in English.
Unless anyone can interpret shade in German, he’s safe for now.
