Coldplay Opts Out of Streaming

Subscription music services have been one of the big stories in music, tech and entertainment this year. For a variety of reasons a series of deals have been signed this year, allowing new subscription services to be launched here and abroad. This is great news for consumers, but possibly not for the artists. Digital Music News, for example, has been running a series of stories on how much artists are paid by various subscription music services.

Services like Spotify have been able to launch this year after signing deals with the four major labels, but it’s a different story with many independents. Some indies are balking at participating, saying that the artists aren’t making enough money. But there are also some big label acts that are joining the movement. Coldplay is the latest act to announce that its new album, Mylo Xyloto, won’t be found on many of the major streaming services. The band can claim at least some vindication for the move after selling more than 440,000 copies of its album in the first week in the US, as well as a comparably impressive debut week in the UK.

Coldplay follows other acts such as Adele and Tom Waits to opt out of streaming. Of course, this isn’t a new movement, as veteran acts such as AC/DC and Pink Floyd before them also bowed out. So far, the opt-out strategy hasn’t hurt these veteran acts, which are some of the biggest-selling acts of all time. But, the sudden gush of streaming services, and the rapidly increased adoption of them, is a new phenomenon, so it remains to be seen if the opt-out approach continues to work in the new world of music?