WiMP


WiMP was a music streaming service available on mobiles, tablets, network players and computers. Music in WiMP was streamed using the AAC+ file format in a bitrate of 96 kbit/s or the AAC file format in a bitrate of 320 kbit/s if the high quality streaming option is selected. WiMP also offered a HiFi-product with FLAC/ALAC. WiMP has since been merged into Tidal.

History

Wimp was developed by Aspiro AS and the Norwegian music store chain Platekompaniet AS and was first launched in Norway February 2010.
On January 30, 2015 it was announced that Aspiro AB has been acquired by Project Panther Bidco Ltd., which is indirectly owned by S. Carter Enterprises, LLC. The company is controlled by Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z. Aspiro AB was sold for 464 million SEK, which is about €50 million or 56 million USD.

Cost and availability

WiMP is funded by paid subscriptions and a one-month free trial is available. As of 2012, WiMP is available in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Poland.

Tidal

The service is also available in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey. where it is known as Tidal, and emphasizes the high-fidelity lossless mode, but the other modes, "High" and "Normal", are also available. Tidal claims to have 25 million tracks.

Last.fm integration

The application is integrated with Last.fm allowing a track to be "scrobbled".

Buy links

The client interface allows users to purchase tracks in 256 kbit/s DRM-free MP3 format.

Catalogue and editorial experience

WiMP gives access to a music library of some 25 million tracks. WiMP has local editors in each country it operates, to present the local and international music and in-app magazines also available online. WiMP also offers music videos, so far available in the Android-client

Mobile devices

WiMP is available for Android, iOS, Symbian, MeeGo, Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8, as well as Squeezebox, Sonos, Simple Audio, Auralic, Teufel and Bluesound.