For serious consumers of music, the availability of classic content across multiple platforms has been one consistent frustration over the last few years as the number of discovery and consumption apps, sites, and services continues to flex.
The Beatles' music wasn't available to stream virtually anywhere. You could buy Beatles albums on iTunes as of 2010, but you could never stream it unless you were on YouTube which doesn't exactly qualify.
So now, where can you stream the Beatles? Almost everywhere: Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, TIDAL, Slacker Radio, Prime Music, Napster, Deezer, and Amazon Prime Music. Plus, YouTube, kind of.
This is a good thing.
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Adele's streaming boycott and Taylor Swift's endeavors to raise the value of streams had put the future of streaming in speculative jeopardy. There's no doubt that artists' return on streaming is low.
But the Beatles' catalogue available to stream for free everywhere bolsters the free unlimited stream paradigm which is for all intents and purposes the dominant force for music discovery right now.
Hopefully, with one of the most sought after catalogues on the planet available free to stream, younger artists worried about making their first million on music may give it up to the older cats who've been around the block before.
thebeatles THE BEATLES NOW STREAMING On December 24 at 12:01am local time -- here, there and everywhere -- The Beatles’ music is available for streaming worldwide via the following nine services: Apple Music Deezer Google Play Microsoft Groove Napster / Rhapsody Amazon Prime Music Slacker Radio Spotify Tidal Track The Beatles streaming launch around the world, from east to west, on thebeatles.com. Watch the launch video here: https://TheBeatlesStreaming.lnk.to/TeaserVideo Happy Crimble, with love from us to you.
The point is, with the Beatles jumping on the free stream bandwagon, it legitimizes the method of delivery, and may keep the discussion around fair artists compensation for streams.
But that's a problem to worry about in 2016. For now, just enjoy listening to all the Beatles music you want for free, wherever you choose to stream it.
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[via Re/Code] [Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]