TIDAL Shut down the Downloader Tool

The TIDAL downloading tool "TiDown" was promptly shut down by the streaming service, with help from GitHub. TiDown developer is not going to fight the takedown request, but the industry experts admit that it will be very hard to prevent the open source code from spreading.

TiDown allowed TIDAL tracks to be permanently downloaded to a computer without requiring users to listen to the entire track before copying it, which makes it unique and sets it apart from similar download tools. Its developer explained that TiDown was an actual downloader, which allowed you to log into TIDAL and get the direct “stream-URLs” that can then be downloaded.

Of course, TIDAL operators were not happy with this tool and quickly took action against it. They sent a takedown notice to the developer platform GitHub, where the tool code was hosted, claiming that it is infringing on the rights of their client. The DMCA notice required the immediate removal of TiDown. GitHub complied, and now you will see the takedown notification if you try to access the GitHub repo, linked on the official TiDown page.

At the same time, the tool developer is surprised by the language used in the takedown notice that claims that the tool infringes “TIDAL source code,” which is actually not the case. TiDown’s swift takedown was an obvious disappointment for the developer, but part of the motivation for the tool was to expose the vulnerabilities in TIDAL’s API, which was quite successful.

Besides, it was found that TiDown is not as dead as it may seem. Its developer noted that the project has been forked several times already and those repositories are still available on GitHub.

Thanks to TorrentFreak for providing the source of the article.