Tidal does not post the cost to buy a song or an album on their site

On Tidal, one doesn't actually buy songs. If you wish to download a song, or an album, for offline listening, you can. But once you are no longer a Tidal subscriber, those recordings are no longer available. As such, it's more akin to renting than buying.
-- Howard

http://tidal.com/us/store/

You can purchase music for download at the Tidal Store.  

Thank you for clarifying for me.
In essence, if I enjoy 10 songs or 10 albums, the only way I can continue
to listen to them is if I maintain the subscription for $19.99 per month.
If I don't I cannot listen to them anymore. Are there any hi resolution sites that actually allow you to purchase the music, ie listening at any time?
Thanks.

Isn’t that what HD Tracks is about?...so-called "hi resolution" downloads for purchase?? I’m a bit of a skeptic about the whole hi rez download thing myself (especially without verification of provenance of the source material) but others seem to like it.

http://www.hdtracks.com/music/hires

Tidal allows a user to download albums and songs to their phones and some portable devices.  As long as the Tidal account is current, the songs will play and remain stored on the phone.  

The Tidal Store offers songs/albums for sale as a download.  These downloads are separate from the subscription (cost extra-kinda $$$) and can be copied to a portable device and remain fully viable, like any other download purchase, regardless of the Tidal subscription status.  

dbtom2 I wasn't aware of the Tidal Store thanks for the info!

I figured Tidal catch.
They do not provide hi-rez streaming even if you pay nor they will ever beat analogue quality.

Tidal is not available to speak or answer my questions.
They do not advertise if they sell or only rent content.
Their site does not make it clear whether you can buy content and how much does that cost.

I've used all (I think) streaming services and I (reluctantly) concluded that Tidal has the largest selection, highest fidelity and best search function. The price though seems very high to me.

Here's my question: When a Tidal subscription lapses and downloaded tracks/albums will no longer play, does that imply that there's some sort of DRM code embedded in the data? If so, does that digital watermark in any way degrade the fidelity? I haven't noticed, but perhaps I've not got the late HP's ears. Comments? Thoughts?

I would expect that like Spotify, Tidal offline mode has to be renewed by going online within a 30 day period or the files you have saved offline will no longer play. It’s either on or off so to speak, no in between.

Here's a link to the 'purchasing music' FAQ on Tidal's site:

https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003672089-Purchasing-Music

It looks like you can indeed buy tracks or albums if you'd like, but that's not really what their service is geared towards, it's primarily a streaming service. 

The 'all sales final, one time download link' part isn't as friendly as iTunes where you can always re-download your purchases even if you somehow manage to delete them, and Apple does allow CD-quality lossless purchases as well.  

Don’t forget veterans pay $11.99 a month for the $19.99 top tier plan.  They will ask for a copy of your DD214 as proof.

One does not "buy" music, only the rights to listen to the music.  You may own the piece of plastic (or vinyl) that is the media for the music, but the rights to the music do not transfer to the owner of the media.

If you only rarely purchase music (a few times a year) and only listen to your music collection, and are satisfied with streaming low res content (for example, YouTube) and/or putting up with commercials (broadcast radio, certain streaming services, etc.), TIDAL will not likely be your thing.  If you buy more than an album a month, demand at least CD quality, and appreciate a certain amount of curation, organizational, and informational content, then TIDAL is a mind-blowingly good deal.  I subscribe to the family plan for $29/month, and I have 4 extremely grateful family members (along with myself) who enjoy TIDAL every day.  I have access to a gargantuan library of CD quality music, which can also be stored on portable devices, for about the cost of a Double Latte every month.  Decision does not require brain.

I still find Tidal to be the best value streaming service available right now.
IMHO it has the easiest interface and best search function, one aspect I really like is when I have searched for my artist as well as listing tracks and albums it will also suggest 5 similar artists. This on its own has got me listening to more new music than anything else combined!

Yes you have to pay $20 for hifi or you can go just $10 for their lower tier service which is still good you just do not get access to the masters mqa titles and if that does not matter then trial at $10 a month. You can always upgrade at anytime and downgrade just as easily too.

Although they do indeed sell tracks it is not really their market target.

Very interesting for those looking at streaming options in the USA right now

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2380776,00.asp

Personally not interested in any product seller, music or otherwise
that does not provide a phone number to ask questions.
I find it offensive that after 8 kind people replied to my question above that I am still not sure about the purchase process.
Thank you.

OP
I do not think I have ever tried to call them so not sure how that is working out for anybody.
I have had occasion to email before and I got replies within about 24 hours, have you tried email at all?
I know still very annoying but if all you are looking to do is purchase then as suggested maybe HDTracks might be a better fit?

Signing up for TIDAL is easy.  You go to the website, click on "Start Free Trial", arrange payment, create user name and password, and you are done.  Pretty standard process.  If you don't like it or find yourself not using it, then sign in to your TIDAL account and cancel your subscription.

Their business model is based on the efficiency of a standardized UEX, and they need to minimize personalized support.  You can contact them through the "FAQ" section of the web site.

They don't need to minimize personalized support.
This is their choice to increase their profits.
If people accept e mail only, that is their choice.
Frequently asked questions is a poor substitute for a person that
can truly help you. 

Good Lord, man, get with the program.  It isn't that hard.  Trolling, on the other hand, is easy.  

On a broader level:  You never really owned the music.  The writer and publisher own the composition.  The label owns the master.  You never have more than what is in effect a license to play the master, either paid in full, as with a traditional purchase, or paid on an ongoing basis, as with TIDAL and other streaming services.

Don't understand why you need to talk to someone. Personally I prefer doing business when I DON'T have to talk to someone. Why would you want to buy music when you can stream it at any time? Your arguments aren't really making sense. If you don't like TIDAL then go back to i-tunes.

Like many others, I find Tidal to be a phenomenal deal. I love the fact that for $20/month I get such a wide variety of hi-fi quality music. Thanks to Tidal and this forum, I have discovered all sorts of new artists I might never have found.

Some people, like the OP, need the personal touch - a knowledgeable phone rep to hold your hand and explain the finer points. Frankly, to me, the less human interaction needed, the better. With the right online resources, I’ll solve whatever my problem is on my own with less time and energy than what goes into a typical customer service phone call. It sounds like the OP doesn’t like the "social contract" of online business. We give you low prices and high value, but the cost will be attentive personal service. Few online businesses can afford to provide all three of those and still be profitable.

As for "purchasing" music. I just buy the CD used on Amazon. It costs about the same, or cheaper, and then I have my own physical copy to do with what I want.

Here’s my question: When a Tidal subscription lapses and downloaded tracks/albums will no longer play, does that imply that there’s some sort of DRM code embedded in the data? If so, does that digital watermark in any way degrade the fidelity? I haven’t noticed, but perhaps I’ve not got the late HP’s ears. Comments? Thoughts?

The tracks once downloaded are encrypted and held in storage. The app then validates that your subscription status is good and unencrypts the tracks for playback through the app. If you try and access these tracks outside of the app, through a file explorer, etc they won’t play for this reason. None of this has any audible impact on the sound.

I’ve used Tidal about 3 months. 
The convenience and SQ is worth the $20/mo to me.

I did not know you could download albums for use online until recently. This is the way to go, because: 
When I was streaming Tidal hires on my phone, I exceeded the cap on my data transfer plan, and ended up paying an extra fee of $20 or so for that month. 

Lesson learned, now I download the music so I stay within my data plan limits. 

@kjl1065, I have been using Tidal Streaming for a while and like it very much.  It is easily worth $19.99 per month.   Tidal service has over 48.5 million tracks and 175,000 music videos. Tidal’s FLAC-based 16-Bit/44.1kHz offers amazing High fidelity, lossless audio.   Its features include many different available playlists or you can build your own. Some people have complained about its library but I have been able to find most of the albums I am interested in.  And, if not, I can always find an acceptable substitute.   

When I find a Tidal album I like, I make it "favorite" so that is shows on my favorites tab and I can select it any time for playing.  And, as needed, I can easily remove a favorite album.  

Tidal Streaming also offers MQA Coded album if you are interested.  

Please see my Audiogon post below named "Qobuz Hi-Res platform's debut is scheduled for this October.  See Qobuz Link below”.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/news-qobuz-hi-res-platform-s-debut-is-scheduled-for-this-october-see

Other free steaming services include Radio Paradise and Calm Radio (they have 260 channels and you select the music type you want).   I hope this helps.   I believe the $19.99 per month charge is a bargain for Tidal Streaming and its FLAC high quality streaming service is easily worth its price.

Try Qobuz and buy the Studio Sublime plan which is $20/month.  This allows you to buy the music (permanently).  The price of the album is cheaper from most online download sellers such as HD Tracks, Acoustic Sounds, etc.

@fillysun - $39.95 for the Tidal Downloader software to steal music from Tidal?  No Thanks!