Skip to main content

Adele doubles down on music streaming opposition, calls medium ‘disposable’

adele single hello is the most downloaded debut in history
DFree / Shutterstock.com
A month after releasing her highly-anticipated and massively successful third record, 25, Adele has opened up on her decision to withhold it from streaming services. The English artist doesn’t use streamers like Spotify or Apple Music because she thinks they deflate the significance of a new album’s release. “It’s a bit disposable, streaming,” explained Adele to Time in a recent cover story.

New music releases should be an “event,” said Adele. “I don’t use streaming. I buy my music. I download it, and I buy a physical [copy] just to make up for the fact that someone else somewhere isn’t.”

The 27-year-old superstar is certainly aware that streaming music is the future of the music industry. And denying the millions of paid subscribers to services like Spotify and Apple Music access to her new record is quite a statement. Regardless, she made the decision — and her fans supported her in droves: 25 has sold nearly 6 million copies through December 17, according to Billboard.

She explained further to Time that she would have been proud of her decision not to allow 25 on music streaming services even if her album wasn’t successful.  “I would have been proud because I stuck to my guns, and I think it’s really important as an artist that you do that.”

While Adele seems happy with her decision, it’s certainly worth noting that her first two records, as well as 25‘s massively popular lead single Hello are currently on Spotify. And the market-leading on-demand streamer will do everything in its power to change her decision.

“We love and respect Adele, as do her 24 million fans on Spotify,” said a rep from the Swedish-based streaming company to Engadget. “We hope that she will give those fans the opportunity to enjoy 25 on Spotify alongside 19 and 21 very soon.”

Chris Leo Palermino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…
How to add family members to your Apple Music subscription
Apple Music Browse screen.

Apple Music is one of the go-to streaming services for all things melodic and melody-adjacent. Hosting over 88,000 million subscribers globally and featuring upwards of 100 million tracks from the leading artists of today, Spotify's nemesis has plenty to love.

If you're a new subscriber, Apple Music gives you a break-in period of one free months of service. After the trial period, memberships are billed on a monthly or yearly cycle with the most popular Individual plan coming it at $11 per month / $109 per year. While that's on par with the average cost for other music streamers, saving a buck here or there is never a bad thing. While college students can get Apple Music for $6/month, another way to save on your subscription is with an Apple Music family plan for $17 per month.

Read more
What is spatial audio? The 3D sound experience fully explained
Person listening to spatial audio using Apple AirPods Max headphones.

Since Apple added “spatial audio” to the Apple Music streaming service and the AirPods family of wireless earbuds and headphones in 2021, it feels like you can’t read about new audio products or services without running into that term. And just a few short years later, it’s seemingly everywhere.

This has led to a lot of misconceptions about what spatial audio is, how it works, and why you need to hear it for yourself. People often ask, “If Apple created spatial audio, why are other companies claiming they do it, too?” The answer is that Apple didn’t create it, and you certainly don’t need to own its products to experience spatial audio.

Read more
How to download music from SoundCloud on desktop and mobile
Soundcloud Interface on a Macbook.

If you’re a huge music fan, you’ve probably combed through the many playlists, artists, and albums of your Spotify or Apple Music subscription. But what about all the indie artists of the world? Some music-streaming platforms are better than others at celebrating the
‘unsung gem’ acts, but one of the most reliable forums for new, off-the-grid tunes is SoundCloud.

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud has always prioritized music that’s a bit under the radar. With over 320 million tracks in its library, the platform will even let you download a majority of its songs and albums.

Read more