There is a misconception about Spotify. That is places all the music in the world merely a click away.
The online streaming service has changed the way we consume music. And it does allow you to type in the name of pretty much any artist, song, or album, and listen to them on your computer or smart phone in its entirety. It's turning on the sonically curious to entirely new genres and facilitates any musical research we've had to do recently. It's also has been a final death knell to CD collections everywhere.
As of last year, Spotify claimed to offer 20 million songs. However, there are still some small, as well as some rather large, holes in Spotify's library. Here are the most obvious and unfortunate vacuums preventing Spotify from being all-encompassing.
The Beatles
The biggest rock band of all time has none of their classic albums or singles represented. Only an interview with Paul McCartney, a FloRida song that samples John Lennon, and a Tony Sheridan album from 1962 with the Beatles as his backing band.
The Beatles were among the last bands to have their music available on CD and iTunes, so perhaps in a few years they will be available on Spotify.
Led Zeppelin
The second biggest British rock quartet are also nowhere to be found. Even their appearances on soundtracks like Almost Famous and School of Rock are stricken from the record. The closest you can find are the recordings of cover band Led Zepagain.
Black Sabbath
Yes, their new album 13 is available, as are other albums with bastardized line-ups including Mob Rules, but pivotal works from the '60s and '70s like Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are nowhere to be found.
AC/DC
These Aussie rockers continue to be influenced by Zeppelin and Sabbath, by not having their music on Spotify.
Thom Yorke
While his work with Radiohead (save In Rainbows) is available, Yorke's solo albums and his Atoms for Peace supergroup's are noticeably absent. Yorke explained why on Twitter with these tweets. "Make no mistake, new artists you discover on Spotify will not get paid. Meanwhile shareholders will shortly be rolling in it. Simples." And "New artists get paid fuck all with this model."
De La Soul
An urge to hear Buhloone Mind State led me to write this post when I noticed only 2004's The Grind Date was available leaving the Long Island rap pioneers first four classic albums inaccessible. Fortunately, their collaboration with Teenage Fanclub on the Judgment Night soundtrack, "Fallin'," is on tap.
Joanna Newsom
This Nevada City harpist only has her rendition of The Muppet Show theme song streaming.
Tool
They refuse to allow their albums to be broken into bite-sized pieces (a.k.a. songs) taken out of the context of the entire album. This means no greatest hits compilations, no iTunes, and no Spotify. When you type their name into Spotify's search engine, it's as if they do not exist.
Garth Brooks
Since 1991, he's sold more albums in the U.S. than any other recording artist, so why should he change his game?
Bob Seger
Only the Christmas themed "Sock It to Me Santa" shows up. You'll have to YouTube old Chevrolet commercials if you want to hear "Like A Rock."
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