But it remains controversial among many artists over royalty payments and issues of control.
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So it should be no surprise that Adele is projected to break all the records with her newest album, 25. Past year it was, of course, Taylor Swift’s “1989” and all its accompanying #squadgoals that permeated the zeitgeist.
“This is a minor issue for Adele, but a major issue for the streaming services”, said digital media analyst Mark Mulligan of Midia Research.
Adele’s “25” is expected to surpass Swift’s album and easily become the biggest in a decade. The album is predicted to push well over 1 million copies in its debut week.
Last time no one was waiting to work out what my songs meant. 21 has sold over 30 million copies across the world since its release. “Hello” now sits at over 426 million views on YouTube and over 159 million listens on Spotify. In a company statement he’s quoted as saying: “She’s using this as an opportunity to try and sell more CD’s or downloads”.
Adele first chats with host Graham Norton where she shows off her clever disguise. New services like Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer, however, remain deeply disputed because critics say they don’t pay a fair share of their revenue to artists. In addition to “Hello” topping the US charts, advance sales of “25” have made it the best-selling album on Amazon.com’s British and USA sites, according to the retailer.
The “Hello” hitmaker posted an emotional open letter to fans on Twitter and Instagram just hours after the record went on sale, admitting “the last month has been a whirlwind”.
The album has also been accompanied by a steady marketing drumbeat.
It’s as if there isn’t a format Adele doesn’t qualify for: She appeals to those millions and millions of fans who have bought Susan Boyle and Michael Buble albums, but she also shares the same fans as Kanye West, One Direction and the Black Keys.
And you can see her perform live on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” this Saturday. However, most of the tracks in the newly released album sounds quite close to its predecessor as most of the tracks are still about the heartbreak that triggered “21”.
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This won’t be the first time that a musician has decided not to release an album on a streaming service platform.
