Jay-Z also held out the promise of exclusives. True to his word, Beyoncé’s 2016 tour de force Lemonade could initially only be accessed on Tidal. The same was true for new releases by Jay-Z and Kanye West. Of course, gravity can only be defied for so long –  all three artists would later make their music available to Spotify and its astronomical user-base.

Tidal has done well to still be a presence in streaming. The fact it survived that disastrous New York launch is, in itself, an achievement. The cringe factor was off the charts as Tidal executive Vania Schlogel introduced, one by one, Daft Punk, Dead Mau5, Madonna, Jack White and Jay-Z’s other colleagues, each of whom had acquired a modest stake in the company.

Decades of carefully cultivated rock ’n’ roll mystique evaporated in a few minutes. Daft Punk, even beneath their robot masks, had the body language of skittish teens. Madonna made to shake the hand of Deadmau5, wearing a huge shiny robot helmet, only for the Canadian producer to leave her hanging. Jack White looked as if he wanted the floor to swallow him, as did Chris Martin, joining by video link-up.

And then there was Keys, who gave a speech so toe-curling you could see her credibility evaporating in real time. “How much do you love this thing called music?” she asked a room of journalists and Tidal employees (not much, judging by the response). It was then declared Tidal would be different because it would be “run” by artists. One by one the assembled stars then trooped forward to sign a “declaration” pledging their allegiance to Jay-Z’s cause – which, as Keys had just explained, was the cause of music itself.