Jay Z thinks people are ''devaluing'' music.

The 45-year-old star, who's married to pop icon Beyonce, has launched his own music streaming service Tidal alongside Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, and says it was an important landmark for the industry.

Jay Z told Billboard magazine: ''People are not respecting the music, and devaluing what it really means.

''People really feel like music is free, but will pay $6 for water. You can drink water free out of the tap and it's good water. But they're OK paying for it. It's just the mindset right now.''

Alicia Keys - who partly owns the service - also underlined the importance of the new service.

She said: ''Our mission goes beyond commerce, it goes beyond technology. Our intent is to preserve music's importance in our lives.

''Music is the language of love, of laughter, of heartbreak, of mystery. It's the world's true, true, without question, universal language.''

The subscription-based service is to become the home to streamed music from no less than 16 top artists, including Kanye West, Coldplay, Madonna and Beyonce.

Last year, Tidal's main rival Spotify saw Taylor Swift remove her work from its service.