KATATONIA: NOT ON SPOTIFY :(

Katatonia are not on Spotify because their label, Century Media, doesn’t want them there. This is unfortunate. After I saw the band play a phenomenal opening set for Opeth a few weeks back I wanted nothing more the next morning than to dive into their back catalogue (of which my knowledge is limited), immerse myself in it, get to know the band better. I looked them up on Spotify, couldn’t find anything but one of their oldest albums, remembered they were on Century Media… and then gave up. I could’ve gotten really into their stuff, become a fan, bought t-shirts, gone to shows in the future… multiply that by the 800 or so folks at the show, multiply that by 20+ tour stops. But nope, Century Media apparently doesn’t want people to discover their bands and forge long-term fanships, only to buy CD so they can make money now.

Katatonia records are on MOG. I haven’t checked Rdio. But that’s besides the point; by being mostly left off the streaming service with by far the most public traction, Katatonia are really missing out by their label’s decision to pull them from Spotify. Who cares about the fractions of pennies per stream, it’s not about that; it’s about making music available to potential new fans so you can forge a lasting connection that pays massive dividends down the road.

If you’re like me and want a Katatonia fix without shelling out $100 for their discography or feeling bad about pirating, head on over to Aversionline where Andrew’s streaming select tracks from Discouraged Ones (actually the one album Spotify has). Dude posts quality metal, most of which I’ve never heard of, on a daily basis; get on it! You can also check out MOG, where I’m currently streaming Last Fair Deal Gone Down.

-VN