Welcome to my latest newsletter What ladidai Has to Say, where I discuss tunes, tech, and trends that interest me every week. I’m ladi and I’m happy to have you! Today’s first edition is all about an app I use ~literally~ every day, and that you probably do too—Cash App.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with JAY-Z or Cash App (yet), but if you feel so inclined, let me hold a dollar $ladidaix

Cash App Turns 10 This Year

In 6 months, Cash App turns 10. (What better day to find this out than Tax Day?)

That's right, on October 15, 2013, one of the most popular mobile payment services in America was born. (Something about Cash App being a Libra just feels right.) Since its inception, Cash App has been used by one out of every four adults in the country and currently is the no. 1 finance app in the App Store with over 44 million verified users. Cash App, which is a subsidiary of Jack Dorsey’s Block, Inc., allows for all kinds of financially related activities for both individuals and businesses: sending and receiving USD, BTC (Bitcoin), and stock; investing; full integration with its sister company, Square; banking; and even tax filing. (I tested out this latter feature recently—let me know if you want me to report back!)

So what do you get the app that keeps on giving? More reasons to give—with a twist. But first, let’s briefly discuss how we got here.

Celebrities + Cash = Content Consumers

If there are two things that Americans really like, it’s famous people and funds.

Cash App has become all the rage among young millennials and Gen Z for numerous reasons, but nothing has helped it trend or make headlines more than its celebrity partnerships. Cash App has tapped popular artists, athletes, and influencers like Serena Williams, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X, Odell Beckham Jr., and Kim Kardashian. Through these star-studded campaigns, Cash App has gifted users millions of dollars worth of cash, Bitcoin, and stock. (I’ve been lucky enough to win all three! Check out one below and see if you can find the rest.)

It’s safe to assume that for its 10th birthday it’ll have some more money to blow, but what if Cash App was to tap into pop culture more significantly?

$500,000 or Dinner with JAY-Z?

If you've spent even a few moments on Twitter, there's no way you haven't seen thee most prolific meme of the century: $500,000 or dinner with JAY-Z?

Some have responded with humor:

Others with hostility:

@saylesshustle

Would you take $500,000 or dinner with Jayz ?#saylesshustle #successful #inspiration #mindsetmotivation #jayz

And others with hustle:

Where do you stand? (This is a judgment-free zone! Sorta.) Take the anonymous poll:

This isn't financial advice, so I won't tell you which should be your choice. But what if Cash App made the Internet’s greatest hypothetical scenario a reality?

The Building Blocks

I stated previously that Cash App is a subsidiary of Block. This is important. Why? Block has all of the building blocks necessary to take dinner with JAY-Z to reality tv.

Block is a conglomerate that houses five companies: Cash App, Square, TIDAL, Spiral, and TBD.

Let’s focus in on Cash App and TIDAL for this series.

Dine or Cash?

The show will be called Dine or Cash?. It’s short and sweet, plus it’s a play on words for the popular phrase “dine and dash.” The premise of the show is that contestants will have the opportunity to choose between dinner with the celebrities selected for that season and a one-time payment of $500,000 in cash via Cash App. A year later, all contestants will be invited to share their insights on how the decision impacted their lives and if they stand by their choice.

Celebrities for the first few seasons will include JAY-Z first and foremost, Block co-founder, CEO, and Chairperson Jack Dorsey, TIDAL celebrity co-owners like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Chris Martin, as well as Cash App celebrity partners like Miley Cyrus and Kendrick Lamar.

On its 10th birthday, October 15th 2023, Cash App will announce that the show is coming exclusively to TIDAL in co-published social media posts, billboards in major cities, as well as online and print interviews. Of course, there will be a special announcement from the Block Head himself, streamed via TIDAL Live, hosted by Elliott Wilson and featuring JAY-Z.

Cash App

By entering the world of reality television, Cash App will be able to better compete against Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle due to increased brand awareness. It’s one thing to get a $10 or $20 payment “from” your favorite celeb through Cash App. It’s a whole other thing to have the opportunity to have a sit-down dinner with that person or a life-changing amount of money—no strings attached.

Cash App is obviously how the contestant will ultimately be paid, if they choose the cash. Further, given Cash App’s increasingly growing gross quarterly earnings, naturally, it will also be the title sponsor for the show.

TIDAL

TIDAL is obviously where the show will air. Anyone who wants to watch will need to be a TIDAL HiFi or HiFi Plus subscriber. TIDAL also recently launched a live feature, so perhaps the in-house curators can play their sets leading up to and after the show as well as during commercial breaks. To further encourage downloads and upgrades, TIDAL users can share their own live sets by tagging @TIDAL and hashtagging #DineOrCash and #LiveOnTIDAL on Instagram and Twitter for a chance to win cash prizes.

Impact

By default, Cash App and TIDAL downloads will rapidly increase upon announcement. The rules can be created so that anyone who wants to be a contestant will have to have been a Cash App user and TIDAL HiFi or HiFi Plus subscriber for more than 90 days to encourage user retention.

To advertise for Season 1 and throughout the entirety of the lifetime of the show, the Cash App and TIDAL social media accounts will share graphics and sign-up links related to the show. There will also be live virtual events and real-time trivia throughout the airing of each episode, exclusively on TIDAL.

Dine or Cash? will prove to be major for both Cash App and TIDAL, as it will further solidify them as leaders in the cultural revolution. Block will receive its long overdue widespread recognition for truly being the epitome of an “ecosystem of ecosystems” as consumers will begin to understand and appreciate the intersection of two seemingly unrelated products.

But most importantly, the “$500,000 or dinner with JAY-Z?” hypothetical query will finally be put to rest—all because Cash App put their money where their mouth is.

Block, the ball’s in your court. Here’s to the next 6 months of planning 💸

Call me. And yes, I accept payments via Cash App.

ladidai is a web2.5 music tech professional with a passion for music, emerging technology, pop culture, social media, and the creator economy. Learn more here. If you enjoyed, please share! Send all inquiries to [email protected]