Jay Z to perform rare songs to promote Tidal music service

Los Angeles - Jay Z is breaking out his B-sides to hype his fledgling music streaming service.

The rap mogul announced plans to unearth songs he hasn't performed in a decade or ever at a free New York concert. The performance will be held 13 May and subscribers can submit a playlist on the service to win tickets.

Jay Z took to Twitter on Sunday to defend Tidal's slow start. He co-owns the service with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Madonna and other artists. He said Tidal currently has 770 000 subscribers

"The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day," he wrote. "It took Spotify 9 years to be successful. We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow and get better."

The concert will be streamed on Tidal.com.

Here are his tweets: