Second boss quits Jay Z’s Tidal

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Peter Tonstad, CEO of the Jay Z’s recently-acquired music-streaming service Tidal, has left the company.

Jay Z re-launched Tidal earlier this year amid massive press coverage
Jay Z re-launched Tidal earlier this year amid massive press coverage

The Wall Street Journal reports that Tonstad has stepped down from his position less than three months after he became Tidal’s interim CEO.

Tidal’s previous CEO, Andy Chen, left the company in April, and Tonstad became the interim CEO while the company searched for a permanent replacement. But now Tonstad is no longer with the company, and Tidal says it will be run by executives in New York and Oslo while it searches for another CEO.

News of Tonstad’s departure was first reported in the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv. When the newspaper reached Tonstad for comment, he said “the only thing I can confirm is that I have resigned.”

Tonstad previously served as CEO of Aspiro, the parent company of Tidal and the streaming service WiMP.

Entrpreneur and rapper Jay Z acquired Aspiro in March after the company’s board accepted a $56 million takeover offer. He rolled the company’s streaming services into one, putting Tidal CEO Andy Chen in charge.

Tidal said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal that it was “thankful to Peter for stepping in as interim CEO and wish him the best for the future.”

There have been numerous reports of staff departures at Tidal since its acquisition and relaunch. The Swedish news site Breakit reports that about 25 employees were “forced to leave” the company.