Jay Z to perform rare songs to plug Tidal

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

The rap mogul announced plans Wednesday to unearth songs he hasn't performed in a decade -- or ever -- at a free New York concert titled "Tidal X: Jay Z B-Sides." The performance will be held May 13 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 Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna and other artists. He said Tidal currently has 770,000 subscribers.

He wrote: "The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day. 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."

He also noted how the service is doing just fine.

The concert will be streamed on Tidal.com.

Jay Z co-owns Tidal with some major names in the music world, including his wife, Beyonce, along with Madonna, Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Daft Punk. Their goal, they say is to give "fans more without the middlemen."

Tidal is attempting to attract music listeners with exclusive content, such as this Beyonce track.