How to Buy Music on Tidal

Quick Answer: Can You Still Buy Music on Tidal?

• Tidal Store Is Permanently Closed: You can no longer buy individual songs or digital albums directly from Tidal. The integrated download store was officially discontinued in October 2022.
• Purchase DRM-Free Files via Third-Party Stores: To legally buy and own high-resolution digital albums, use dedicated online storefronts such as Qobuz, Bandcamp, Amazon Digital Music, or iTunes.
• Keep Tidal Playlists Offline via Converter: If you maintain an active Tidal subscription and want to preserve your streaming playlists as permanent local audio files (such as lossless FLAC, WAV, or MP3), desktop tools like AudKit Tidal Music Converter allow you to export your music for offline playback across all personal devices.

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Streaming services have reshaped music consumption into an ongoing rental model. While offline caching is available inside official apps, those downloaded tracks are encrypted cache files that vanish once your subscription lapses or licensing agreements change. For audiophiles, archivists, and everyday listeners, true perpetual ownership ensures your music collection remains yours forever.

Following the retirement of Tidal’s purchase storefront, music lovers need dependable alternatives. This guide explores the most effective solutions: purchasing DRM-free files from reputable digital storefronts, and backing up your existing Tidal playlists as open local files.

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Part 1. Can You Buy Music From Tidal?

The short answer is no. In October 2022, Tidal officially retired its digital download store. Purchasing tracks or full albums directly through the platform is no longer possible, as Tidal has shifted its entire focus to subscription streaming.

The closure of the Tidal Store marked a notable change for listeners who valued owning standalone audio files. On-demand streaming provides convenient access to millions of songs, but in-app offline downloads are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM). They can only be played inside Tidal’s client applications and require regular server authentication. True digital ownership, by contrast, gives you unrestricted audio files that can be stored on hard drives, loaded onto portable DAPs (Digital Audio Players), or transferred to USB drives for car stereos.

Tidal has streamlined its subscription model by merging its former HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers into a unified structure, providing studio-grade Hi-Res FLAC audio across standard individual plans:

Features	HiFi	HiFi Plus
Price	$9.99/month	$19.99/month
Sound Quality	Up to 1411 Kbps	Up to 9216 Kbps
Songs	100M+	100M+
Videos	650K+	650K+
Ad-Free	Yes	Yes
Listen Offline	Yes	Yes
Tidal Connect	Available	Available
Expert Curated Playlist	Available	Available

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Part 2. Alternative Ways to Purchase Tidal Music

While Tidal may no longer offer its music purchasing feature, some alternative platforms and services can fulfill your desire to buy and own music. This section will explore three popular options: iTunes, Amazon Music, and Qobuz. These platforms provide avenues for purchasing and downloading music, allowing you to expand your collection and enjoy the benefits of ownership.

1. iTunes

iTunes, Apple’s renowned digital media platform, has long been a go-to destination for purchasing music. With a vast catalog spanning various genres, iTunes offers an extensive selection of songs and albums available for individual purchase.

By venturing into the iTunes Store, you unlock the gateway to a vast assortment of music. Moreover, it allows you to explore various genres and emerging artists and add your preferred tracks to your digital collection. One advantage of using iTunes is its compatibility with multiple devices. Here is how you can buy music from iTunes:

Step 1: Open iTunes on your computer and select “Music” from the appearing menu. Now, tap “Store” in the navigation bar to access the music store.

Step 2: Here, find the song or album you want to buy and click the price next to it. By clicking the price, you will be able to buy the song or album.

2. Amazon Music

Amazon Music, a prominent player in the music streaming realm, presents an alternative avenue for acquiring and possessing music. While Amazon Music predominantly functions on a subscription-based model, granting users access to an extensive library of songs for streaming, it also encompasses a distinct store where individuals can purchase individual tracks, albums, and exclusive content.

Within the Amazon Music Store, users can delve into diverse music genres, peruse new releases, and quickly acquire their cherished songs. Use the following steps to buy music from Amazon Music:

Step 1: Visit Amazon Digital Music Store on your computer’s web browser and search for the song or album you want to buy. Once it appears in the search, click it.

Step 2: In case you want to buy the whole album, tap “Purchase Option” and choose the “MP3 Music” option. If you want to buy a single track, click three dots in front of the track and use the “Buy MP3 song” option.

3. Qobuz

Qobuz is a music streaming and download service that prides itself on offering high-quality audio. Alongside its streaming options, Qobuz provides a store where you can purchase music in various formats, including lossless and high-resolution audio. This makes Qobuz an excellent choice for audiophiles and those who prioritize superior sound quality.

By purchasing music from Qobuz, you gain access to a diverse range of genres and artists, all delivered in exceptional audio fidelity. Follow these steps to buy music from Qobuz:

Step 1: Go to the Qobuz Store and search for the album you want to buy. After finding the album, click the “See the Album” icon to access various options for the song/album.

Step 2: From the available options, confirm your action by pressing “Buy the Album” or “Buy Track“. Once the album is bought, you can download it and play it offline.

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Part 3. How to Get Tidal Music Without Purchasing

In the absence of Tidal’s music purchasing feature, there are still ways to acquire Tidal music without direct purchases. One such method is by using a dedicated tool like AudKit Tidal Music Converter. This powerful software allows you to download and convert Tidal music to various formats, enabling you to build a personal collection of your favorite tracks.

AudKit Tidizer Music Converter is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for Tidal music enthusiasts to download songs from Tidal to the desktop offline. Furthermore, it retains the original ID3 tags of the Tidal tracks, including information such as artist name, album title, track number, and more. This ensures that your downloaded music is properly organized and identifiable within your collection.

It provides a reliable solution for acquiring Tidal music without direct purchases. This specialized Tidal music converter is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems, ensuring accessibility and functionality across a wide range of devices.

Step to Use AudKit Tidal Music Converter to Download Tidal Tracks

The process to convert Tidal music to your favorite format is extremely simple with AudKit Tidizer Music Converter. Here is how you can convert Tidal music for offline use:

Step 1 Adjust the output of Tidal music preferences

After opening AudKit Tidizer Music Converter, click the “Menu” icon from the top right corner. Choose “Preferences” from the available options and navigate to the “Convert” tab. Here, customize the output format by selecting the desired format, bit rate, sample rate, etc.

Step 2 Add your Tidal music collections

Once you have customized the output, the next task is to import Tidal songs on AudKit Tidizer. You can drag and drop songs from Tidal to AudKit Tidizer or right-click the music, tap “Share” and use “Copy Track Link” to get the songs. After copying the link, paste it into the search bar of AudKit Tidizer and click the “+” icon located near the top right corner.

Step 3 Obtain music from Tidal by downloading it offline

After adding the songs to AudKit Tidizer Music Converter, click the “Convert” button from the bottom right corner to start the conversion process. You can add more songs during the conversion process to convert them to your favorite format. Once all tracks are finished, a noticeable red indicator will appear on the “Converted” icon. Simply open it to reveal the converted Tidal music files within.

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Part 4. Comparison: Buying Music vs. Downloading via Music Converter

Deciding whether to buy digital tracks from online storefronts or export your library using AudKit Tidal Music Converter depends on your budget, equipment, and collection goals:

Feature / Dimension	Digital Purchase Stores (Qobuz, Bandcamp, iTunes)	Dedicated Converter (AudKit Tidal Music Converter)
Pricing Model	Pay-per-track or album ($0.99–$2.49/track; $10–$25+ per album)	One-time software license or subscription
Audio Quality	Up to 24-bit/192kHz studio masters (store-dependent)	Matches source streaming tier (lossless HiFi / Hi-Res FLAC)
Audio Formats	DRM-free FLAC, WAV, AIFF, or lossy AAC/MP3	DRM-free FLAC, MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A, M4B
Ownership Rights	Commercial purchase with redownload rights from store	Local backup of streaming library for private offline use
Device Compatibility	Universal playback across all software players and hardware	Plays on DAPs, car USB ports, MP3 players, and smart TVs
Best Suited For	Building a curated collection of select albums; supporting indie artists	Backing up extensive playlists and syncing large libraries to offline devices

Which Option Should You Choose?

• Choose Digital Storefront Purchases if you want to support specific independent musicians directly through Bandcamp, or if you require official commercial download licenses for select reference albums in uncompressed 24-bit studio formats.
• Choose AudKit Tidal Music Converter if you maintain an extensive streaming library on Tidal and want a cost-effective way to preserve multiple playlists as local files for offline listening in your car, on a dedicated DAP, or on devices without official Tidal app support.

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Part 5. FAQs About Buying and Keeping Tidal Music

Can I keep downloaded Tidal songs after canceling my subscription?

No. When you download tracks through the official Tidal desktop or mobile app, the files are stored as encrypted DRM cache files rather than standalone audio. The Tidal client regularly verifies your account status. Once your subscription lapses or is canceled, the app revokes offline playback permissions, rendering those downloaded tracks inaccessible.

Why did Tidal shut down its digital download store?

Tidal discontinued its standalone digital purchase store in 2022 to streamline its operations. As consumer habits shifted overwhelmingly from à la carte digital purchases to on-demand streaming subscriptions, maintaining an independent retail storefront with separate licensing agreements became commercially redundant.

Where can I buy authentic 24-bit Hi-Res music online?

If you prefer outright ownership of uncompressed studio masters, several reputable digital stores specialize in high-resolution downloads:

• Qobuz: Features an extensive store selling authentic 24-bit Hi-Res FLAC albums and individual tracks without requiring a streaming plan.
• HDtracks & ProStudioMasters: Curate audiophile-grade releases, multichannel recordings, and high-bitrate PCM/DSD files.
• Bandcamp: An excellent marketplace for discovering independent artists, offering DRM-free FLAC, WAV, and AIFF downloads with maximum artist payouts.

Is it legal to convert Tidal songs for personal backup?

Under fair-use and private-copying doctrines in many jurisdictions, creating a personal backup of media you legally access is permitted as long as the copies remain strictly for private, non-commercial use. Converting music via AudKit Tidal Music Converter to standard formats like MP3 or FLAC enables playback on unsupported hardware—such as legacy MP3 players or offline car head units. However, sharing, distributing, or commercializing these converted tracks infringes copyright laws and violates Tidal’s Terms of Service.

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In Conclusion

To summarize, we have explored alternatives on how to buy music on Tidal, especially after the closure of Tidal’s music store. While direct purchasing is no longer available on Tidal, we have uncovered various options that allow you to build a personal music collection and own your favorite tracks.

Among these alternatives, AudKit Tidal Music Converter stands out as an exceptional tool for acquiring Tidal tracks offline. It offers a comprehensive solution and its key features, such as lossless sound quality preservation, 5X conversion speed, and retention of original ID3 tags, make it stand out.

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